Jason Pine: Sportstalk host on Auckland FC's loss to Melbourne Victory

No grand-final for Auckland FC - and coach Steve Corica's making it known the officiating is the reason why.

Melbourne Victory's 2-nil second-leg win in Auckland's clinched a 2-1 triumph on aggregate.

Sportstalk host Jason Pine explained further - and explained why Auckland FC is likely to be feeling flat this week.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jason Pine is with me in our sports talk hoostap Piny. Hello, Heather,
do you think Auckland Auckland f C were robbed?

Speaker 2 (00:07):
No, No, I don't. I don't think they were, much
as they will protest about the goal that was disallowed,
which would have brought it back to two to two
on aggregate and set ups up for a grandstand finish
and may even who knows, have propelled them into the
Grand Final. My personal view is, and it's not the
commonly held view or necessarily the universal view. I thought

(00:27):
the ball was out. I thought I thought it curved out,
came back and onto the head of Logan Rogerson and
he equalized. You will not convince Steve Coricker of that.
He is absolutely adamant and still today will be absolutely
adamant that that ball didn't cross the line, or at
the very least that not enough examination of it was given.
Fact is, though Melbourn Victory were better than Auckland f

(00:49):
C on Saturday night, they deserve to win the game,
which I think this is kind of masking in some
ways they were the better team. They deserve to go through.
Doesn't take away from Auckland f C SUPERB season but
they'll be very very flat today because they were expecting
this week to be Grand Final week and now it's not.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Did Melbourne just rise to the occasion little Auckland choke?

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Good question. I think Melbourne victory certainly made it tactically
difficult for Auckland f C. They set up with a
slightly different formation, which in I Walkland f C weren't
expecting they even went so far. You have to give
the other team your team list and a formation an
hour before kickoff and the formation that was handed to
auklandle f C wasn't what they lined up as, so

(01:32):
a bit of you know, you don't have to you know,
you can just say what we changed down night at
the last minute, but it's up to Aukland f C to,
you know, to adjust to that. I think Melbourn victory
a very very good finals team and they showed their experience.
Only finished fifth in the regular season, Heather, you know,
and here they are in the Grand Final and I
think favorites to win it. So maybe I don't think
you say Auckland f C choked. I don't think that's

(01:53):
the right phrase. I just don't think they rose to
the occasion. As much as Melbourne Victory did.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Is the coach being a sore loser?

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, it's not a good look, right, He's still complaining
about something which was only one part of the game.
I like Steve Coricker. He's a very emotional, passionate football
coach and has clearly used that to drive his team
to heights this season no one expected. But you know,
the more and more you go on about it, the

(02:21):
more it looks as though you are, you know, just
just having a bit of a winge. And look, I
don't I haven't even seen him congratulate Melbourne Victory on
their win, whereas the previous week the Melbourne Victory coach said, look,
Awkwlam were better than us. They did well, they won
that game. You know, of course he had another game
to make up for it, which Steve Corecker doesn't have.
But yeah, I just kind of think now it's like
it's done. That's top level sport. It's cruel sometimes and

(02:45):
not everything goes your way.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Hey, Pine Edison. After that loss to the Raiders, is
are the Worries still top four?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yep? Yep, Well they're still top four on the table,
and I see, I think they're still a top four side.
They've proven this year, over the last five games which
they've won, that they can close out tight games. Ironically enough,
they couldn't last night another single for margin, this time
in the raiders favor. But I think the NRL is
so even this year. You know, the Panthers are right
down the bottom. The Storm aren't necessarily the force that

(03:13):
they were. The Bulldogs are only two points ahead of
the Warriors. I honestly think they're playing well enough to
still be in that top four conversation. Look, they've got
to bounce back from this, as they have in their
previous losses this season. But yeah, I saw enough, especially
with players, to come back to suggest this is delivery,
good team and one that could well challenge the top
four year.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Now, congratulations on just being such a fantastic commentator at
the weekend.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Oh it's very It's like, listen to.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Him, go he's awesome. Did they let you in on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
For free to the Warriors game? I was actually offered.
I was offered a space in a corporate box. Actually
the offer, you know, the Go Media ahead of Go Media.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Mike Grave on the show on Friday.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
In my show too, So there you go Spiga's back,
but I had to get a flight home, so I
couldn't make it, but I told him that I would
rain check and go another time.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Good and you should Pine, You should enjoy yourself. Thank
you so much, Jason Pine. Sports Talk hoost.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news Talks at b from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio