August 20, 2025 • 21 mins
On Sports Fix with D'Arcy Waldegrave for 20th August 2025, Auckland FC have announced another signing for the upcoming A-League season. This time it's an attacking threat with striker Sam Cosgrove coming over from Barnsley FC in the English League One. D'Arcy caught up with Sam to discuss his transfer.
D'Arcy offers his thoughts on the changing of the gender policy by the World Darts Federation.
And D'Arcy and Newstalk ZB head of sport Clay Wilson discuss the doping scandal plaguing Venezuela's win over the Black Sox at the recent Softball World Cup, and the raft of changes Rassie Erasmus has made ahead of the Springboks second test against Australia.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
This is Sportsfix Howard by News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome on into the Sports Fix podcast. My name is
Darcy Walter Grave. There's a Wednesday. It's the twentieth of
August twenty twenty five. Courtesy of the fine folk at GJ.
Gardner Holmes consent on his most trusted home builder. We're
going to bring you this. I'll have a chat with
the brand new signing for AKFC, that's Augland Football Club.
(00:42):
Is name is Sam Cosgrow. I'll roll out some thoughts
on transdender darts players and a new ruling that has
been introduced by World Darts. Then in the chamber, the
boss man of News Talk ZB Sport Collection, mister Clay
Wilson joins me to throw around a few ideas around
(01:03):
the wonderful wild world of sport today. So let's do
it in other news. Let's get the airful now of
sport today. Because in sport today this tool shit happened.
I know because they told us it's shaping as a
scrap for the gloves and the ultimate strip fresh AKFC
Olie Sale versus Michael Vaud's teammate All Whites gathered. Darren
(01:27):
Bezie is keen to watch the developing rivalry with international
caps in mind.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
My understanding now is that the two of them are
going to go and challenge to play it often. So
it's going to be a really interesting season. That both
very good goalkeepers. Both of them have been White's number one,
you know at some stage in the past six seven years.
Potentially that has an effect on US.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Springbok mastermind Arasi Erasmus frees from getting tested worked by
the Australians and dropping ten of US players as a result,
he's got plenty of bodies to select from. Though his
squad number is forty three, which is.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Good, right then you have squad depthly winning, then you
really have squad. If you have a little bit squad
and you're losing, you know that you then you only
have numbers. So we won't to make sure that nobody
says Saturday night after the game with a lot of
numbers and.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Still with Rugby because Rugby Double Bay has noticed the
unbardled enthusiasm of the two fresh men back into the
mix with the All Blacks team versus lost Pumas, Matt too,
what else Tt and to Mikey Williams have been training
the house down.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
Obviously been out for a long time now and they
got told to slow down a couple of times from GILESA.
Speaker 6 (02:42):
Yeah, I'd be also to see them back in the
midst of this week.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
That happened. We were there. Glad you listened.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Dissecting the sporting agenda. It's Sportsfix with Dancy Waltergrave.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And it's a war More. Welcome to the Sports Fix podcast.
Now to brand new a KFC signing. He's a Ford,
he comes from England and his name is Sam Cosgrove.
Speaker 6 (03:07):
It a Sam afternoon. How are we good?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Welcome to the country, Welcome to Auckland. IFC you're the
big name signing, in fact me calling you the English giant,
how does that sit with you?
Speaker 6 (03:18):
Yeah, don't mind it.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
I mean I'm English and I'm probably not far off
being a giant, so it could be fairly accurate.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
It's just part of why you got the call from Coraca.
You stand at what old many six four one meter
ninety two, so you're definitely a target.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean, listen, I think that the managers
I've said a few chats to them now and he's
he's keen to get me in as kind of that
focal point.
Speaker 6 (03:42):
Up the top end of the pitch.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
I'd like to think myself, like to think myself as
more of a traditional number nine in the way that play.
But you know, I think that football these days, you've
got to be incredibly adaptable, and that doesn't mean that
there's not a hell of a lot of running off
the ball within this team and within this league. So yeah,
hopefully I can bring a few different aspects to my game,
but in terms of kind of summing myself up, i'd
(04:04):
definitely say that traditional number nine, So hopefully I can
kind of of fit them all that the manager's asking
of me.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I've read that you bring physicality with you predominantly because
of your size. Is that a fear way to describe
agricultural You're just going to run through people and over
top of them.
Speaker 6 (04:23):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
I Mean I kind of realized fairly soon in my
career that was never going to be the most skillful
or quickest player in the world, so I had to
utilize one of the big strength.
Speaker 6 (04:36):
I had, and that was always my size.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
So as I said, being that focal point, you know,
occupying defenders at the top end of the pitch and
either being effective in that myself or kind of creating
diversions and you know, opening up space and avenues for
our more technically gifted players. You know, either or is
definitely a very, very sure fire way to be reliant
(05:01):
on the picture.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
You remind me of one of the New Zealand superstars
and the EPL Chris Wood, huge agricultural right out the middle.
It's not a big comparison, is it.
Speaker 5 (05:12):
Yeah, No, I mean listen that the big Chris Wood
is almost revolutionized kind of center forward play again within
the within the English leagues. I mean, we were kind
of moving away from the old traditional types of football,
you know with false nines and runners in behind and
knees kind of coming and blowing a breath of fresh
(05:34):
air into the league and showing that you know, these
kind of center forwards they're not they're not a dying
breed and they can still be incredibly effective when used
in the right way. And you know, he's had an
unbelievable season last year and he's started off on fire
again this year.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
So you're a long way from home. This is your
first time playing outside of Great Britain. I believe you've
been playing all over in various different leagues. Now you're
coming to the other side of the world. You're not shy.
Why the move? Why getting so far away from your country?
Speaker 5 (06:06):
No, definitely, I mean you said just then that I've
kind of played all over the UK, and you know,
I think I kind of needed a little bit of
a fresh start with my career and something to kick
start myself again. And this was, you know, as an
opportunity that came completely out of the blue.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
But the more that I looked into the club, the.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
League, obviously, the country itself, the city, it was something
that really really appealed to me. So kind of once
I got there that the green light from from my
better half. It was it was a bit of a
no brainer in the end. And you know, I'm not
I've not looked back since.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
What have you made of the place since you've turned up?
Was it had expectations Even though it's kind of winter,
it's not exactly winter, is it?
Speaker 6 (06:51):
No?
Speaker 5 (06:51):
I mean, listen, it's it's nothing. It's nothing like the
winter in the UK. Jesus, we'd be we'd be incredibly
lucky to get a day like this evening spring that
I'm looking out at the moment, but now that the
city itself has been incredibly impressive.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
I mean the size of it, where the facilities.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
Within the stadium, the training ground, and then even just
wandering around the city in the daytime and you know,
nighttime with the jet lag is a really cool place
and it's somewhere that I can definitely see myself settling
in for the next couple of years.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Three hundred odd games, seventy goals. Where are you concerning
your prime in where you put your best foot form?
Because you've played in the Scottish Premiership, you played a
lot of Championship League One as well. Are you coming
toward the best days? Do you think?
Speaker 5 (07:43):
I think in terms of my all round play, in
terms of kind of the physicality, the experience, the know how,
I definitely think that as an all around player, I'm
almost I'm the best I've been.
Speaker 6 (07:57):
However that probably don't back that up.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
I mean, it's easy to see that when I was
up in Scotland it was kind of my most successful
period in front of goal and statistically, but as a
strike because sometimes you can find yourself.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
In a rich ragin of form or a poor vein
of form.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
And you know, in terms of goal scoring, definitely up
in Scotland was my most prolific point. Obviously getting promoted
with Plymouth. I had a very very successful season in
terms of gold contributions per minute. But yeah, in terms
of where my all round game is at the moment,
I'm really happy where it is and hopefully I can
(08:34):
kind of bring everything together and have a successful period
at Auckland.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Use anion It's sports Fix with Dancie Valdegrave.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
I've often wondered why women don't compete at the highest
level in world dats. This is not a sport based
on physical prowess. It's not a sport based on size,
bulk weight physicality. It's a sport based on hand eye coordination,
on repetative actions, on scoring on a board, not scoring
(09:10):
on your opposition player. So when the World Darts Federation
introduced a new eligibility rule preventing transgender women from competing
in female tournaments, I scratched my head. We know that
this space drags in a number of very passionate arguments
about the nature of transgender athletes when they transition, at
(09:33):
what age it is, how long have they been playing
a game, how big? The list goes on and on,
and I still stand by my opinion that there is
a lot of work to be done in this area
in order to determine the most accurate way of inclusion.
When it comes to sports at a number of different
(09:53):
levels and in a number of different situations, be it
club sport, be at local sport, be it national sport,
be it international sport, and of course the nature of
the sport as well, from boxing right the way through
to dare I say it darts, New Zealand transgender darts
player Victoria Monahan says her career has been left in
(10:16):
tatters after these new eligibility rules have been put in place.
It's not like she can't play darts anymore, it's just
that she can no longer play in women's and girls'
ranking events unless she is recorded as female at birth.
They can compete in a reclassified open category, which was
(10:37):
previously the men's division. The WDF said this change was
about equal opportunity, but I'm interested into how they come
to the conclusion that, regardless of your gender at birth,
why that would give you a distinct advantage. Possibly they're
tracing it right back to the caveman days, where men
(10:58):
were men and hunted wooly mammoths, and so they required
accurate aim and the identifying of targets, whereas women were
charged worth looking after the children, with cook with food
collection in the like. But does that really stand in
any point of relevance in this day and age. I'm
not sure that it does.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
The Chamber is now in session on Sports Fix.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
The Chamber is in session in session with Clay Wilson.
He is the man of the hour, the tower of
power behind at News Talk z B Sport. I'm gonna
call you the Grand Puba of sports news Collection. How
does that sound?
Speaker 7 (11:33):
I don't mind that I've never heard that. Can I
put that on my business card?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Or I might even get one of those little cheetah
or tiger colored feathers like old Mate from Happy Day's
Head when he was the Grand Hooper. Enough already, let's
talk about some big sports stories today. This is fascinating.
The Black Sox might end up winning the World Championships
because the Venezuelan picture was caught pumped full of drugs.
(12:00):
That's a simple way of putting it. But there's a
chance this might happen when a B sample comes through.
Indeed he is guilty of Still it's very old school drug.
I might add, they might have their title removed. Is
that fair and right?
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Wow?
Speaker 7 (12:15):
I mean it's a really interesting debate, isn't it. And
the more I think about it, the more I think
that in the context of the situation, there should be
a chance that they get their title taken off them. Now,
it's important to note he's tested his A sample. He
has a right to have his B sample tested. We
(12:35):
don't know heaps about what's going on and if they
have requested that and where it's going to get to.
But it very rarely turns out to be not accurate
when that a sample comes through.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
So I'd say nineteen times out of twin maybe ninety
nine times out.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
Of one hundred.
Speaker 7 (12:49):
So if this turns out to be the case and
he was in fact illegally doping, there is a real
discussion to be had about whether they should have this
gold medal taken off them. Now, you say this is
a team sport, does one person doping? Does that mean
the rest of the team deserve to have a world title?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Taken off for the scripe Mikey Pinintel though he is
the man behind it. He runs the show, the picture
runs the show.
Speaker 7 (13:16):
Surely the starting pitcher arguably the star player for this team,
well from a defensive side of defensive being pitching at
this tournament. You know, like it's one of those things
that probably you're going to get down into the real
finer detail and context of this particular sport, what he
does and where it gets to. I mean, I don't know,
(13:38):
maybe the World Softball governing body will just throw it
out and say it's unfortunate he's going to get banned,
Venezuela keep their title. That won't be much of a discussion,
but definitely the door is ajar. And if you're Softball
New Zealand, who aren't saying much at the moment, I
mean you're sitting in the seed it hosts hot seat
of software in New Zealand. I think, well, if it
(13:59):
was me, I'd definitely be looking into the possibility because
that they go to these events any sport lit alone
at this level to compete on a fair and even basis,
And if you haven't, then why not say, you know,
we deserve to have this looked at because we were.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Wrong the effectiveness of a picture when it comes to
animotic steroids. Is there much difference in what they can do?
Is it about? It's all about recovery. Isn't it more
than anything else?
Speaker 6 (14:30):
Doping?
Speaker 7 (14:30):
Isn't it? Surely? I mean I think so.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
He's old school too. I mean he's taken the drugs
that Ben Johnson was taking. I mean, man, maybe in
Venezuela they're not quite up to the modern technology and
that's why he got caught.
Speaker 7 (14:43):
And still catching up until where the sort of modern
technology has got. But yeah, just the more I think
about it, the more I think And we were just
discussing about the there is precedent for this, right the
two thousand and eight Olympics. The Jamaican four by one
one hundred team, which included a certain Usin Bolt, won
the gold medal at that Olympics and had that got
(15:05):
that gold medal removed from them because one of those
one of those athletes, not Usain Bolt, was found to
be doping.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
So it's a quarter of the team.
Speaker 7 (15:15):
It's a quarter of the team.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
But do you do it by percentages?
Speaker 7 (15:19):
Well, this is what I'm saying about context of the
situation of the sport, of the competition itself. You have
to really dive into that, and then it becomes a
kind of a subjective decision, doesn't it, Like I say,
whether they will get into this at all, or whether
they will just make a ruling and say things stand
as they are and we're done with it, we're moving
(15:40):
on he's band, or whether they will open the door
of the possibility of saying, well, then sure do they have.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
To set an example first and foremost are they're looking
to go right, we need to come down hard on
the spike. So everybody in the softball world knows you
take drugs, we catch you, you're going to wreck your
entire team. The guy will be a pariah with in
Venezuelan and softball. Maybe that's what they're after.
Speaker 7 (16:02):
And this is what happens in these cases. I mean,
I think when you say that, you know, quite quite
often punishments in the real world, and when it comes
to doping in sport, there has to become some kind
of statement made with these punishments. You know, you look
at what happened to the Penrith Panthers recently, the Narl
with their trainer getting a five match band. Now was
that fear on that trainer? You could argue not, but
(16:24):
the NRAL had to make a statement that they weren't
going to put up with that kind of stuff happening
in their competition. So yeah, maybe they do look at
it like that and will will that be unfairness teammates?
Of course, but this is a team sport. You went together,
you lose together. Maybe you could be the argument.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Step on my foot, oh break your leg? It might
be the case. Clay Wilson joins this newstalker zb head
of Sport, talk about crime and punishment. Your crime is
to get beaten by the Australians after having a twenty
two nil lead to punishment is you can all sit
down huge changes from Rassi Erasmus ahead of the second Test. Look,
(17:01):
four of them are through injury granted, but ten changes.
Speaker 7 (17:07):
Yeah, I mean, I guess and when you read the
top line of this story you think it's not that
much of a surprise and A knowing what happened in
that game, and B if you know anything about Russia Erasmus.
Now the question is do you believe what Russia Rasmus
has said about these changes that ninety percent of them
were either planned or forced by injury. Now we all
(17:27):
know Russi is a bit.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I believe the injury bit right, but.
Speaker 7 (17:30):
The rest, Yeah, Russi is a very clever man. He'll
be preps, I think, publicly trying to protect some of
these players, But privately, I would have thought that there's
been some very hard conversations with the players that were
involved in that defeated Joe Berg at the weekend. Because that, Wow,
(17:52):
the scoreline itself come out. I know, we're let alone
how that game transpired, how far they got up and
just let a lead slip conceidered what thirty eight unanswered points.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
It's insane watching the game ahead twenty two points. It
was looking pretty comfortable, and then the Odsi's jagged back
with a try, and the jag back with another one.
By that stage, South Africa, the spring boxs are going, okay,
here getting too close. This is beyond a joke. We
need to do so they did nothing. They just stood there.
It was surreal watching this great South African team, because
(18:25):
it is they're not ranked number one in the world
any more. What I don't pay much attention to that
they're the best team in the world have been for years,
but to watch them just melt like that surreal And.
Speaker 7 (18:37):
You know, you think about the style that the South
Africa team has played with and takes me back to
Scott Robinson's comments about this game and about what's coming
up here at Eden Park in a few weeks time,
that big clash, the two tests. The South Africans are
coming here for Scott Robinson's comments where we expect them
(18:57):
to revert to type and I'm paraphrasing slightly, but that
is essentially what Scott Robinson said. And Russia Rausmus, what
has he done. He's gone from that five three split
where he bought a couple more backs in he's gone
back to US six' two this week with six. Forwards
so you know that That's South african team is built for. That,
physically they know that style of game so, well they've
(19:20):
been so good at. It why you, know why? Change
they obviously tried something In. Johannesburg it hasn't. Worked go
back to what you're you're really good. AT i would
say there's a there's a backlash, coming at least from
a physical. Perspective whether that whether that results on the, scoreboard,
Well we'll have to wait and, see BUT i think
(19:42):
there won't be too much more fiddling going on in
the Spring box in terms of what they're trying to
do with this style of.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Play no favors done to The All blacks by The
wallabies because they are, Angry they've been poked and this
bear is going to carry on marauding through The Rugby.
Championship Thanks Joe. Schmidt thanks. Brother that's a good, thing isn't.
Speaker 7 (20:01):
IT i think we want This All blacks team to
be tested by our top, level top performing Spring box.
Team it's what we.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Want we.
Speaker 7 (20:09):
Want we want to know where all the holes and
weaknesses are in This All blacks. Team and if you
get a Spring box team that's coming To New zealand
still hurting a bit from what they produced in the
first round of the, competition, hey that's a good thing
because that's going to show up wherever This All black
team needs to improve in the years leading up to
this Next World.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Cup it's going to be a game for the, AGES i.
Swear Clay, wilson head Of Sports News News Talk, zeb
thank you for providing us with your, time your, talents your,
opinion your. Skills you're going TILL i carry.
Speaker 7 (20:38):
On i'm just going to wait for my. Hat always a,
pleasure thinks to us leading A.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Vex we've got just the. Ticket It's Sports vex powered
By News.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
TALK zvvy.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
And that's the end of the. Line that's The Sports
vex podcast for a Wed stady twenty Of august twenty twenty.
Five I'm Darcy. Waldgrave thanks so much for joining. Us
we'll do it all again. Tomorrow if you want to
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(21:11):
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(21:34):
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Speaker 1 (21:44):
More From News TALK sedb listen live on air or,
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You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
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This is Sportsfix Howard by News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome on into the Sports Fix podcast. My name is
Darcy Walter Grave. There's a Wednesday. It's the twentieth of
August twenty twenty five. Courtesy of the fine folk at GJ.
Gardner Holmes consent on his most trusted home builder. We're
going to bring you this. I'll have a chat with
the brand new signing for AKFC, that's Augland Football Club.
(00:42):
Is name is Sam Cosgrow. I'll roll out some thoughts
on transdender darts players and a new ruling that has
been introduced by World Darts. Then in the chamber, the
boss man of News Talk ZB Sport Collection, mister Clay
Wilson joins me to throw around a few ideas around
(01:03):
the wonderful wild world of sport today. So let's do
it in other news. Let's get the airful now of
sport today. Because in sport today this tool shit happened.
I know because they told us it's shaping as a
scrap for the gloves and the ultimate strip fresh AKFC
Olie Sale versus Michael Vaud's teammate All Whites gathered. Darren
(01:27):
Bezie is keen to watch the developing rivalry with international
caps in mind.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
My understanding now is that the two of them are
going to go and challenge to play it often. So
it's going to be a really interesting season. That both
very good goalkeepers. Both of them have been White's number one,
you know at some stage in the past six seven years.
Potentially that has an effect on US.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Springbok mastermind Arasi Erasmus frees from getting tested worked by
the Australians and dropping ten of US players as a result,
he's got plenty of bodies to select from. Though his
squad number is forty three, which is.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Good, right then you have squad depthly winning, then you
really have squad. If you have a little bit squad
and you're losing, you know that you then you only
have numbers. So we won't to make sure that nobody
says Saturday night after the game with a lot of
numbers and.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Still with Rugby because Rugby Double Bay has noticed the
unbardled enthusiasm of the two fresh men back into the
mix with the All Blacks team versus lost Pumas, Matt too,
what else Tt and to Mikey Williams have been training
the house down.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
Obviously been out for a long time now and they
got told to slow down a couple of times from GILESA.
Speaker 6 (02:42):
Yeah, I'd be also to see them back in the
midst of this week.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
That happened. We were there. Glad you listened.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Dissecting the sporting agenda. It's Sportsfix with Dancy Waltergrave.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And it's a war More. Welcome to the Sports Fix podcast.
Now to brand new a KFC signing. He's a Ford,
he comes from England and his name is Sam Cosgrove.
Speaker 6 (03:07):
It a Sam afternoon. How are we good?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Welcome to the country, Welcome to Auckland. IFC you're the
big name signing, in fact me calling you the English giant,
how does that sit with you?
Speaker 6 (03:18):
Yeah, don't mind it.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
I mean I'm English and I'm probably not far off
being a giant, so it could be fairly accurate.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
It's just part of why you got the call from Coraca.
You stand at what old many six four one meter
ninety two, so you're definitely a target.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean, listen, I think that the managers
I've said a few chats to them now and he's
he's keen to get me in as kind of that
focal point.
Speaker 6 (03:42):
Up the top end of the pitch.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
I'd like to think myself, like to think myself as
more of a traditional number nine in the way that play.
But you know, I think that football these days, you've
got to be incredibly adaptable, and that doesn't mean that
there's not a hell of a lot of running off
the ball within this team and within this league. So yeah,
hopefully I can bring a few different aspects to my game,
but in terms of kind of summing myself up, i'd
(04:04):
definitely say that traditional number nine, So hopefully I can
kind of of fit them all that the manager's asking
of me.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I've read that you bring physicality with you predominantly because
of your size. Is that a fear way to describe
agricultural You're just going to run through people and over
top of them.
Speaker 6 (04:23):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
I Mean I kind of realized fairly soon in my
career that was never going to be the most skillful
or quickest player in the world, so I had to
utilize one of the big strength.
Speaker 6 (04:36):
I had, and that was always my size.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
So as I said, being that focal point, you know,
occupying defenders at the top end of the pitch and
either being effective in that myself or kind of creating
diversions and you know, opening up space and avenues for
our more technically gifted players. You know, either or is
definitely a very, very sure fire way to be reliant
(05:01):
on the picture.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
You remind me of one of the New Zealand superstars
and the EPL Chris Wood, huge agricultural right out the middle.
It's not a big comparison, is it.
Speaker 5 (05:12):
Yeah, No, I mean listen that the big Chris Wood
is almost revolutionized kind of center forward play again within
the within the English leagues. I mean, we were kind
of moving away from the old traditional types of football,
you know with false nines and runners in behind and
knees kind of coming and blowing a breath of fresh
(05:34):
air into the league and showing that you know, these
kind of center forwards they're not they're not a dying
breed and they can still be incredibly effective when used
in the right way. And you know, he's had an
unbelievable season last year and he's started off on fire
again this year.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
So you're a long way from home. This is your
first time playing outside of Great Britain. I believe you've
been playing all over in various different leagues. Now you're
coming to the other side of the world. You're not shy.
Why the move? Why getting so far away from your country?
Speaker 5 (06:06):
No, definitely, I mean you said just then that I've
kind of played all over the UK, and you know,
I think I kind of needed a little bit of
a fresh start with my career and something to kick
start myself again. And this was, you know, as an
opportunity that came completely out of the blue.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
But the more that I looked into the club, the.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
League, obviously, the country itself, the city, it was something
that really really appealed to me. So kind of once
I got there that the green light from from my
better half. It was it was a bit of a
no brainer in the end. And you know, I'm not
I've not looked back since.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
What have you made of the place since you've turned up?
Was it had expectations Even though it's kind of winter,
it's not exactly winter, is it?
Speaker 6 (06:51):
No?
Speaker 5 (06:51):
I mean, listen, it's it's nothing. It's nothing like the
winter in the UK. Jesus, we'd be we'd be incredibly
lucky to get a day like this evening spring that
I'm looking out at the moment, but now that the
city itself has been incredibly impressive.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
I mean the size of it, where the facilities.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
Within the stadium, the training ground, and then even just
wandering around the city in the daytime and you know,
nighttime with the jet lag is a really cool place
and it's somewhere that I can definitely see myself settling
in for the next couple of years.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Three hundred odd games, seventy goals. Where are you concerning
your prime in where you put your best foot form?
Because you've played in the Scottish Premiership, you played a
lot of Championship League One as well. Are you coming
toward the best days? Do you think?
Speaker 5 (07:43):
I think in terms of my all round play, in
terms of kind of the physicality, the experience, the know how,
I definitely think that as an all around player, I'm
almost I'm the best I've been.
Speaker 6 (07:57):
However that probably don't back that up.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
I mean, it's easy to see that when I was
up in Scotland it was kind of my most successful
period in front of goal and statistically, but as a
strike because sometimes you can find yourself.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
In a rich ragin of form or a poor vein
of form.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
And you know, in terms of goal scoring, definitely up
in Scotland was my most prolific point. Obviously getting promoted
with Plymouth. I had a very very successful season in
terms of gold contributions per minute. But yeah, in terms
of where my all round game is at the moment,
I'm really happy where it is and hopefully I can
(08:34):
kind of bring everything together and have a successful period
at Auckland.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Use anion It's sports Fix with Dancie Valdegrave.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
I've often wondered why women don't compete at the highest
level in world dats. This is not a sport based
on physical prowess. It's not a sport based on size,
bulk weight physicality. It's a sport based on hand eye coordination,
on repetative actions, on scoring on a board, not scoring
(09:10):
on your opposition player. So when the World Darts Federation
introduced a new eligibility rule preventing transgender women from competing
in female tournaments, I scratched my head. We know that
this space drags in a number of very passionate arguments
about the nature of transgender athletes when they transition, at
(09:33):
what age it is, how long have they been playing
a game, how big? The list goes on and on,
and I still stand by my opinion that there is
a lot of work to be done in this area
in order to determine the most accurate way of inclusion.
When it comes to sports at a number of different
(09:53):
levels and in a number of different situations, be it
club sport, be at local sport, be it national sport,
be it international sport, and of course the nature of
the sport as well, from boxing right the way through
to dare I say it darts, New Zealand transgender darts
player Victoria Monahan says her career has been left in
(10:16):
tatters after these new eligibility rules have been put in place.
It's not like she can't play darts anymore, it's just
that she can no longer play in women's and girls'
ranking events unless she is recorded as female at birth.
They can compete in a reclassified open category, which was
(10:37):
previously the men's division. The WDF said this change was
about equal opportunity, but I'm interested into how they come
to the conclusion that, regardless of your gender at birth,
why that would give you a distinct advantage. Possibly they're
tracing it right back to the caveman days, where men
(10:58):
were men and hunted wooly mammoths, and so they required
accurate aim and the identifying of targets, whereas women were
charged worth looking after the children, with cook with food
collection in the like. But does that really stand in
any point of relevance in this day and age. I'm
not sure that it does.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
The Chamber is now in session on Sports Fix.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
The Chamber is in session in session with Clay Wilson.
He is the man of the hour, the tower of
power behind at News Talk z B Sport. I'm gonna
call you the Grand Puba of sports news Collection. How
does that sound?
Speaker 7 (11:33):
I don't mind that I've never heard that. Can I
put that on my business card?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Or I might even get one of those little cheetah
or tiger colored feathers like old Mate from Happy Day's
Head when he was the Grand Hooper. Enough already, let's
talk about some big sports stories today. This is fascinating.
The Black Sox might end up winning the World Championships
because the Venezuelan picture was caught pumped full of drugs.
(12:00):
That's a simple way of putting it. But there's a
chance this might happen when a B sample comes through.
Indeed he is guilty of Still it's very old school drug.
I might add, they might have their title removed. Is
that fair and right?
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Wow?
Speaker 7 (12:15):
I mean it's a really interesting debate, isn't it. And
the more I think about it, the more I think
that in the context of the situation, there should be
a chance that they get their title taken off them. Now,
it's important to note he's tested his A sample. He
has a right to have his B sample tested. We
(12:35):
don't know heaps about what's going on and if they
have requested that and where it's going to get to.
But it very rarely turns out to be not accurate
when that a sample comes through.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
So I'd say nineteen times out of twin maybe ninety
nine times out.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
Of one hundred.
Speaker 7 (12:49):
So if this turns out to be the case and
he was in fact illegally doping, there is a real
discussion to be had about whether they should have this
gold medal taken off them. Now, you say this is
a team sport, does one person doping? Does that mean
the rest of the team deserve to have a world title?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Taken off for the scripe Mikey Pinintel though he is
the man behind it. He runs the show, the picture
runs the show.
Speaker 7 (13:16):
Surely the starting pitcher arguably the star player for this team,
well from a defensive side of defensive being pitching at
this tournament. You know, like it's one of those things
that probably you're going to get down into the real
finer detail and context of this particular sport, what he
does and where it gets to. I mean, I don't know,
(13:38):
maybe the World Softball governing body will just throw it
out and say it's unfortunate he's going to get banned,
Venezuela keep their title. That won't be much of a discussion,
but definitely the door is ajar. And if you're Softball
New Zealand, who aren't saying much at the moment, I
mean you're sitting in the seed it hosts hot seat
of software in New Zealand. I think, well, if it
(13:59):
was me, I'd definitely be looking into the possibility because
that they go to these events any sport lit alone
at this level to compete on a fair and even basis,
And if you haven't, then why not say, you know,
we deserve to have this looked at because we were.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Wrong the effectiveness of a picture when it comes to
animotic steroids. Is there much difference in what they can do?
Is it about? It's all about recovery. Isn't it more
than anything else?
Speaker 6 (14:30):
Doping?
Speaker 7 (14:30):
Isn't it? Surely? I mean I think so.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
He's old school too. I mean he's taken the drugs
that Ben Johnson was taking. I mean, man, maybe in
Venezuela they're not quite up to the modern technology and
that's why he got caught.
Speaker 7 (14:43):
And still catching up until where the sort of modern
technology has got. But yeah, just the more I think
about it, the more I think And we were just
discussing about the there is precedent for this, right the
two thousand and eight Olympics. The Jamaican four by one
one hundred team, which included a certain Usin Bolt, won
the gold medal at that Olympics and had that got
(15:05):
that gold medal removed from them because one of those
one of those athletes, not Usain Bolt, was found to
be doping.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
So it's a quarter of the team.
Speaker 7 (15:15):
It's a quarter of the team.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
But do you do it by percentages?
Speaker 7 (15:19):
Well, this is what I'm saying about context of the
situation of the sport, of the competition itself. You have
to really dive into that, and then it becomes a
kind of a subjective decision, doesn't it, Like I say,
whether they will get into this at all, or whether
they will just make a ruling and say things stand
as they are and we're done with it, we're moving
(15:40):
on he's band, or whether they will open the door
of the possibility of saying, well, then sure do they have.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
To set an example first and foremost are they're looking
to go right, we need to come down hard on
the spike. So everybody in the softball world knows you
take drugs, we catch you, you're going to wreck your
entire team. The guy will be a pariah with in
Venezuelan and softball. Maybe that's what they're after.
Speaker 7 (16:02):
And this is what happens in these cases. I mean,
I think when you say that, you know, quite quite
often punishments in the real world, and when it comes
to doping in sport, there has to become some kind
of statement made with these punishments. You know, you look
at what happened to the Penrith Panthers recently, the Narl
with their trainer getting a five match band. Now was
that fear on that trainer? You could argue not, but
(16:24):
the NRAL had to make a statement that they weren't
going to put up with that kind of stuff happening
in their competition. So yeah, maybe they do look at
it like that and will will that be unfairness teammates?
Of course, but this is a team sport. You went together,
you lose together. Maybe you could be the argument.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Step on my foot, oh break your leg? It might
be the case. Clay Wilson joins this newstalker zb head
of Sport, talk about crime and punishment. Your crime is
to get beaten by the Australians after having a twenty
two nil lead to punishment is you can all sit
down huge changes from Rassi Erasmus ahead of the second Test. Look,
(17:01):
four of them are through injury granted, but ten changes.
Speaker 7 (17:07):
Yeah, I mean, I guess and when you read the
top line of this story you think it's not that
much of a surprise and A knowing what happened in
that game, and B if you know anything about Russia Erasmus.
Now the question is do you believe what Russia Rasmus
has said about these changes that ninety percent of them
were either planned or forced by injury. Now we all
(17:27):
know Russi is a bit.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I believe the injury bit right, but.
Speaker 7 (17:30):
The rest, Yeah, Russi is a very clever man. He'll
be preps, I think, publicly trying to protect some of
these players, But privately, I would have thought that there's
been some very hard conversations with the players that were
involved in that defeated Joe Berg at the weekend. Because that, Wow,
(17:52):
the scoreline itself come out. I know, we're let alone
how that game transpired, how far they got up and
just let a lead slip conceidered what thirty eight unanswered points.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
It's insane watching the game ahead twenty two points. It
was looking pretty comfortable, and then the Odsi's jagged back
with a try, and the jag back with another one.
By that stage, South Africa, the spring boxs are going, okay,
here getting too close. This is beyond a joke. We
need to do so they did nothing. They just stood there.
It was surreal watching this great South African team, because
(18:25):
it is they're not ranked number one in the world
any more. What I don't pay much attention to that
they're the best team in the world have been for years,
but to watch them just melt like that surreal And.
Speaker 7 (18:37):
You know, you think about the style that the South
Africa team has played with and takes me back to
Scott Robinson's comments about this game and about what's coming
up here at Eden Park in a few weeks time,
that big clash, the two tests. The South Africans are
coming here for Scott Robinson's comments where we expect them
(18:57):
to revert to type and I'm paraphrasing slightly, but that
is essentially what Scott Robinson said. And Russia Rausmus, what
has he done. He's gone from that five three split
where he bought a couple more backs in he's gone
back to US six' two this week with six. Forwards
so you know that That's South african team is built for. That,
physically they know that style of game so, well they've
(19:20):
been so good at. It why you, know why? Change
they obviously tried something In. Johannesburg it hasn't. Worked go
back to what you're you're really good. AT i would
say there's a there's a backlash, coming at least from
a physical. Perspective whether that whether that results on the, scoreboard,
Well we'll have to wait and, see BUT i think
(19:42):
there won't be too much more fiddling going on in
the Spring box in terms of what they're trying to
do with this style of.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Play no favors done to The All blacks by The
wallabies because they are, Angry they've been poked and this
bear is going to carry on marauding through The Rugby.
Championship Thanks Joe. Schmidt thanks. Brother that's a good, thing isn't.
Speaker 7 (20:01):
IT i think we want This All blacks team to
be tested by our top, level top performing Spring box.
Team it's what we.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Want we.
Speaker 7 (20:09):
Want we want to know where all the holes and
weaknesses are in This All blacks. Team and if you
get a Spring box team that's coming To New zealand
still hurting a bit from what they produced in the
first round of the, competition, hey that's a good thing
because that's going to show up wherever This All black
team needs to improve in the years leading up to
this Next World.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Cup it's going to be a game for the, AGES i.
Swear Clay, wilson head Of Sports News News Talk, zeb
thank you for providing us with your, time your, talents your,
opinion your. Skills you're going TILL i carry.
Speaker 7 (20:38):
On i'm just going to wait for my. Hat always a,
pleasure thinks to us leading A.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Vex we've got just the. Ticket It's Sports vex powered
By News.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
TALK zvvy.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
And that's the end of the. Line that's The Sports
vex podcast for a Wed stady twenty Of august twenty twenty.
Five I'm Darcy. Waldgrave thanks so much for joining. Us
we'll do it all again. Tomorrow if you want to
be involved and you haven't subscribed, already just do it that.
Way it automatically drops in your. Inbox you don't have
(21:11):
to do, anything no effort. Required tell your, friends tell your,
family tell. Everybody we want to spread the good word
of The Sports fix and of course if it's Sport
talk back you're, after you can do that on News
TALKS ab Between monday And friday from seven pm to
eight pm with Either Jason pine or, myself and Then
Jason pine dominates the weekend With Weekend sport twelve mid
(21:34):
day to three o'clock Both saturday And. Sunday we'd love
you to join us across all of these. Platforms thanks
for your. Time catch you tomorrow for.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
More From News TALK sedb listen live on air or,
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