Jason Pine: Sportstalk host on Auckland FC beating out the Western Sydney Wanderers

There's belief within Auckland FC that they can win the A-League title in their maiden season.

The inaugural side sits two points clear at the top of the table halfway through the campaign - they've conceded 11 goals in 14 games and only lost twice.

Sportstalk host Jason Pine says the team's well on their way to making history - but they've got some fatal flaws holding them back.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Talks for Jason Paine.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Hello, hello Andrew.

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Did you watch the tennis lar's name? Because I couldn't
because I had been at rock and roll.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well I hadn't, so I did.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
So I have watched on accident all the way through
to the Australia Open, and he was He's something else
for such a slap man compared to all the other guys.
You know, he hits with such a pause and such
a force and so direct and just everything comes back.
Was he like that in the final?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, he was. He was. It never really felt as
though vary if it was a good player, was ever
going to win the match. I didn't at any stage
think that he would mount a comeback second set, you know,
seven to six, the sixth three in the first and
sixth three and the third. So fairly comfortable there the
second set, perhaps, but it never really felt that way.
And Sooner's got this ability when you look over the

(00:47):
net at him as an opposition player, even if you
think you're on top, you see this guy on the
other side of the net. He doesn't even look worried.
It doesn't look perturbed in the slightest so yep, and
still only twenty three so who knows what he might
go on to achieve record?

Speaker 1 (01:00):
What could he achieve?

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, I guess it depends on who else is in
and around him over the next five, six, seven years.
Carlos Alcarez seems like the most likely to mount that charge.
There are other youngsters around Zvariev. I mean, he's been
in thirty five, thirty six Grand slams now hasn't won
any of them, So he must wonder if it's ever
going to happen for him. Sinner, you have to think
is on target to reach double figures at least. Look,

(01:22):
I don't think he's going to get up to the Federer, Nadal,
Djokovic numbers, but he's going to be a guy who
was there or thereabouts for many years to come.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
But do you know what I thought about last night
with the matchups Verio versus, it's sort of as hard
to actually root for either of them because one is
an alleged drug taker and the other is an alleged
wife beater. You know, so you sit there going they're
not actually likable people the way, particularly people like Federer
what was and what Nadal was? You know, can you
actually root for them as champions?

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah? And I think what tennis also needs is rivalries.
You need rivalries where there is passion, you know, on
on all sides, the likes of the players you mentioned Jokovic, Federer,
Nadal and even Andy Murray there for a while we
go back to Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, and beyond ball,
tennis particularly the men's game has been built on rivalry.
So sinner needs one and probably more than one if

(02:17):
tennis is going to retain its interest over the next
decade or so.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Now, Auckland FC top of the tree. We're halfway through
the season. It is absolutely amazing, But why can't they
score a goal in the first half?

Speaker 2 (02:28):
There is that? There is that, I suppose. Yeah, if
you're an Auckland f C fan and you've only got
ten minutes up your sleeve, you choose the last ten
minutes because that's when they've been scoring their goals. Look
if they somehow managed to convert their late, late goal
scoring into consistent ninety minute goal scoring, who knows what
this team might go on to do. Attack is certainly
the big work on for Steve Corika. He's got the

(02:49):
defense sort of out best in the league. Midfield's functioning
pretty well. He's tinkered a lot in attack to try
and find the right combination, and I still don't think
he knows what is best attacking formation is, but that
will come. Having said all of that, top of the
pile midway through the season on track for something pretty
special the back end. If they can hold their nerve,
which you think they will, they could also be a

(03:11):
team that achieved something historic in the middle of the year.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Well here's the thing though, the two all draw that
happened the game before this. What happened is they put
Moreno on. Moreno scored within a minute. And this game
wasn't Marino, who scored right at the end was as
he came on, of course as a substitute. Am I
wrong in saying just stick him on earlier?

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, all four of his goals this season have come
off the bench. When he started, he hasn't scored. So look,
if you look at those numbers, crunts them a bit.
Maybe he's your impact guy.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Very good stuff. Hey, and briefly, I'm going to talk
to Oli Peterson about this in about fifteen minutes time.
But Peter Flanders from the NRL is going to go
and see mister Trump and try and convince them to
go to Vegas to watch the first round of the
NRL Games. And because in the first round of the
nl Games the Warriors, Trump could be coming to the Warriors.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Look, I can't wait to hear more.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Excellent answer, very diplomatic. You're a pro. And are you
on tonight?

Speaker 2 (04:09):
I am on tonight. We'll talk some tennis and also
about of football as well.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Great stuff.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
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