Full Show Podcast: 10 November 2024

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. The only place for the big names,
the big issues, the big controversies and the big conversations
heads all on Weekend Sport with Jason Pin on your
home of Sport News Talks ed B.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Thank you're to good afternoon. Welcome in to the Sunday
edition of Weekend Sport on News Talks EDB. November ten,
Happy birthday to former All Blacks captain Andy Leslie. I'm
Jason Pine, Show producer Andy McDonald. We are here until
three talking sport. Neil Wagner has a book out. It's
called All Out. It is a terrific read. One of

(00:52):
our all time Test cricket and greats is with us
in studio this hour to talk about his life and
his career. I also, while we're on the subject of
Test cricket, want to get a gauge from you on
how you think the current Black Cats I might line
up against England when the first Test rolls around at
Hagley Oval in around eighteen days or so. There's a

(01:14):
bit of thinking to do for the selectors. Maybe you
could give them a hand after one we're going to
drill down into this issue of a second NRL team
in New Zealand. During the week a third christ Church
based consortium was unveiled. Now my first question is why
are there are three different ones all in the same city.

(01:34):
But what is the appetite in Australia do you think
for a second New Zealand based NRL side? Rugby League
writer Brad Walter on that after one, your thoughts are
obviously encouraged as well, particularly if you're in the christ
Church region. Other matters around today a milestone rugby match
yesterday for one of our most loved commentators as the

(01:56):
All Blackspeed Ireland and dubb And Grant Nisbet was behind
the mic for his three hundred and fiftieth Test match.
Incredible grand Thisbet or nisbovas he's almost universally known as
with us. After two, the Kiwi Ferns play the Pacific
Championship Rugby League final against Australia this afternoon, kick off

(02:16):
at ten to four in Sydney. That's New Zealand time.
Kiewi Fern Center Abby Roach on the show. After two,
both the Phoenix men and women play this afternoon. The
women at home to Canberra United at four the Men
away to the Central Coast marin Is from six. We'll
get you inside both camps James mcconi in his regular
Sunday slot as well, but a live sport on this
afternoon while we're on the year round seven action in

(02:38):
both the men's and women's National Football League, and a
bunch of NBA games to keep tabs on as well.
Your contribution though, is probably the most important show feature
of all. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty Get you
throw on the phone nine two ninety two for text
messages and emails into me. Jason at Newstalk SEDB dot
co dot Nz just gone nine and a half past midday.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
Breaking down the Hail Mary's and the empy Fields weekends
for it with Jesson new s Talk Zenvy.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Neil Wagner had one of the great New Zealand Test
cricket careers.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
Side New Zealand one stunning Test match.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
They're one of the most famous Test matches and Neil
Wagner front and center for it. He played sixty four
Test matches for New Zealand took two hundred and sixty wickets,
the fifth most by any New Zealand bowler at an
average of twenty seven point five to seven and an
exceptional strike rate of a wicket every fifty two deliveries.

(03:53):
Of the New Zealand bowlers who have taken more than
one hundred Test wickets, he is second only to Sir
Richard Hadley in terms of the number of balls bowled
per wicket taken. But it was his approach to the game,
his lion hearted attitude, has never say die mentality, and
his willingness to run and ball after ball, over after over,

(04:14):
regardless of the conditions, all the match situation, and never
give an opposition batter a second's rest, which endeared him
to New Zealand cricket fans. His autobiography is out, It's
All Out and your wag that is in studio. Great
to see you mate. How did you find the process

(04:34):
of writing the book?

Speaker 4 (04:37):
Yeah, I've got a lot of more respects for people
who write a book now.

Speaker 5 (04:40):
Number one.

Speaker 4 (04:41):
Number two sort of felt like counseling in a way
a little bit. Yeah, it was. It wasn't easy to
obviously get a lot of stuff out that a lot
of things that my family member's close friends, a lot
of people wouldn't have known about me. You sort of
had to give them a heads up before the book
obviously came out to say hey, so that they don't

(05:02):
read it in there for the first time, but to
open up and sort of put ever out there.

Speaker 5 (05:08):
It's not easy.

Speaker 4 (05:09):
You know, everyone's going to know everything about you, but
personally wanted to make an impact and tell a pretty
cool story that you know, my career has sort of
been through and what I've went through, so so yeah,
hopefully can make an impact in one person's life, I'll
be pretty satisfied.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Sometimes cricket auto biographies in particular can become a bit
of a list of games that you played and the
runs you scored, the will get you took, that sort
of thing. But this book is so much more than that,
as you've just alluded to there. How keen were you
for it to be a true account of the many
ups and downs in your life?

Speaker 4 (05:44):
Yeah, I think there was the reason why I, you know,
wanted to write a book at first. You know, I
got hounded by James Roader, the writer to write this book,
and I kept saying, nah, nah, I don't want to
do it, I don't want to do it. You know,
I hate making anything sort of about me or something
like that, so I was a little bit against it.
And yeah, after you retirement and sitting down reflecting, and

(06:06):
you know, I had a couple of a couple of
whiskeys one night with my wife sitting down, and I
rang them up and said, let's write this book and
put it on paper because I'll change my mind tomorrow.
And then I thought, you know, I'm going to have
to go all out here. I'm going to have to
try and try and explain and give a real in
depth I guess sort of background, and I guess tell

(06:27):
the whole story and people might understand a little bit
more and see why, you know, my veins popped every
time I guess celebrated wicket and got extremely animated. I
think this will give a lot of people a lot
of insight and reasons behind the scenes and will know
a lot of more.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
Well, it certainly did for me. It's a terrific read. Neil,
congratulations on it. I know many people will find it
hard to correlate the confidence with which you played your cricket.
You know that as you say that how pumped up
you were, how outwardly exuberant, you always were with the
off field challenges you talk about in the book at
its worst, the self doubt that you talk about the

(07:06):
book at its worst. How bad was that?

Speaker 5 (07:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (07:10):
Extremely bad at times when when you're on the fringe
and you don't know if you're going to play or not.
You know, you find out the morning of the teasse
if you're going to be twelve and you're playing the
night before, not being able to sleep, you know, worrying
about if you're going to play or not, the uncontrollable.

Speaker 5 (07:25):
Things of you.

Speaker 4 (07:27):
You're sort of just you know, playing around your head
and then finding out you're not playing, was disappointed.

Speaker 5 (07:32):
But then when you do play, you're excited.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
But then the nurse straight away kick there and the anxiety,
I guess, the fear of failure, those sort of things.
You know, when you've done one your career but you
don't get a chance in white ball, cricket or and
other things, you sort of doubt yourself, you know, like
are you just you know, having a bit of luck
or you know, are you actually good enough? Why you're
not seen to I guess get you know, go to

(07:56):
another step further or do better or do more.

Speaker 5 (08:00):
You know, there's there's a lot of anxiety around that.

Speaker 4 (08:03):
And then when you did well and performed, was to
keep performing and keep doing well. And then we had
extremely good crop of fast bowlers around, bringing down your
neck the whole time, seeing you had to be at
the top of your game. Any anytime you sort of
slip up, someone else is going to take that opportunity
and that could be.

Speaker 5 (08:20):
A career over.

Speaker 4 (08:21):
So yeah, that came with a lot of challenges on
and off the field. Came a lot of things that
you had to try and put aside because I was
tiring and it was draining mentally. It was definitely fatiguing.
So for me, it was quite nice that I could
channel that I guess stuff and to bowling bounces.

Speaker 5 (08:40):
I guess.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
Indeed, I want to talk about some of the highs.
But but first of all, when do you reckon you
were bowling at your absolute best? Is there a sweet
spot in your career?

Speaker 4 (08:52):
Yeah, I definitely fill two and sixteen, probably two, you know,
I think a year before I retired it was probably
the best. I think, you know, as situations sort of
went on, easy grew in confidence as you had I
guess you could put it away that fear and anxiety
in that streets when your place got a little bit

(09:13):
more cemented and you knew we're going to play and
you can park those things up and you had a
good night's sleep beforehand, and you can just worry about
the job that you need to do. But once you
had a bit more experience it wasn't new, and you
had a couple of games behind your belt, it became easier.
And then it was sort of just get stuck into
your work sort of thing, you know, and the rhythm
was sort of there, and things sort of felt like

(09:34):
it was easier to kind of deal with the other challenges.
Was tough with your body when you had to you know,
the aches and pains and you know the soreness. You
had to try and go through that and buite through it.
There was a challenge with it itself as well, where
you know, there's times you felt like maybe you should
sit this one out. But then I was just thinking

(09:56):
deep and it was amazing to see what you could
then do, what you could achieve, you know, how high
you could actually push your body and where I thought
I couldn't play that teas all of a sudden, you
played a whole series and you played three te s
matches and got through it. It was amazing to see
and that gave yourself again that confidence to be able
to know how far you can.

Speaker 5 (10:10):
Push your body.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
I want to ask you about a couple of specific
test matches which fall towards the back end of your career.
The World Test Championship Final win over India twenty twenty one.
I love your account of it in the book, and
I love Trent Bolt saying, as Kan and Ross Taylor
out there, Look, if you have to go and you
could get ted runs, you could get ted runs. I

(10:32):
could get five runs. We're going to get there. I mean,
that's a great memory. But what are your most vivid
memories of the World Test Championship win.

Speaker 4 (10:39):
There was probably the longest test of my whole career,
not just because we had six days with the extra day.
It was because we stayed at the ground and your
room staring looking at the ground, waking up six o'clock
in the morning and you can hear the carvers coming
off and the lawnmow starting up and working in stuff
like that. It was pretty surreal. Because we normally don't
stay at the ground. You sort of drive in with

(11:00):
a bus and you sort of far away, but it
just felt like you were constantly in this game and
there at the ground and never a way, So that
was extremely draining afterwards. But yeah, it was an amazing
test to be a part of just the ebb and
flover sitting around waiting with whether so many.

Speaker 5 (11:19):
Things have happened in it.

Speaker 4 (11:20):
But it was just an amazing game of cricket to
being involved in, and definitely obviously for me, the pinnacle
of the game. And to be able to beat an
India team equality team in a final like that was
was high quality and there we've gone this team and
back that up and beat them three all in India
over the past month. Was an amazing achievement and there
will be the pinnacle of I guess a lot of

(11:41):
those guys career as one of the best achievements they
would have ever had.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
The one run win over England at the basin after
following on take us inside your head as you line
up to bowlder Jimmy Anderson England and nine down they
need to to win again.

Speaker 4 (11:56):
The ebbs and flows of that game where you feel
like in control, you feel like you know we've done
hard work, We've gone through two innings after being made
follow on, you know, the man of work those battest
put on to get us in a good position, and
all of a sudden, a couple of wickets full.

Speaker 5 (12:12):
You feel like you're going to you know, this is it,
We're going to win this game.

Speaker 4 (12:15):
Then a partnership between Stokes and Roots sort of brings
that back down again and put you under pressure and
finally get their wickets and you feel like, okay, this
is it.

Speaker 5 (12:23):
This is the moment too. You know, we've got a
sniff here.

Speaker 4 (12:25):
And then James Anderson pulls me through Cane's legs out
of nowhere for four and I thought, Jesus is it.

Speaker 5 (12:31):
You know, it's not meant to be.

Speaker 4 (12:33):
You've got to get back to your top of your
mark and you know, put that behind you and find
a way of doing something believing that we can win
this and thank goodness will a little tickle down legs side,
But yeah, it was. It was definitely, you know, a
highlight of a Korea, something that you know you look
back on fondly and always remember. And the moments afterwards
in the change room of your mates, you know, drinking

(12:54):
a couple of nice cold beers. Those are the moments
you can remember, the smile on everyone's faces, and it's
the thing you miss the most.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
The next teest after that trinchor in christ at the
end of that summer, You've got a torn hamstring and
a bulging disc in your back, chasing two eenty five
to win. Matt Henry gets out five to win. You
go out there to join Kine with one run to win.
You sprint twenty meters dive fall length with a torn
hamstring and a bulging disc in your back to run

(13:22):
the buy that wins the game on your thirty seventh birthday.
I mean, come on, that's up there.

Speaker 5 (13:29):
Yeah, I had to do something.

Speaker 4 (13:32):
I was bloody frustrated that I got injured and you know,
not playing a part of the game and sitting there watching,
you know, you feel helpless.

Speaker 5 (13:38):
It was.

Speaker 4 (13:39):
It's one of the worst things as sports when you're
they're injured on the side and you watch your mates,
you know, grinding away, and I just felt like I
want to do something. I wanted to contribute somewhere, you know,
you want to get amongst it. And it's an amazing thing.
In drilling and a couple of painkillers what it can do.
Jogged out there and sort of tested the hamstring out
and I thought, yeah, I can do this until I
started running their foot and that run I felt like

(14:00):
I was pulling an eighteen year old truck, but eventually
got there. But yeah, it was It was just nice
to be out there, I guess in a moment where
Caine played such an amazing innings instead of us home.
You know, he's done it so many times, but to
be there, I guess again, in the most of it
and a part of it, it was a huge, a
huge privilege and a huge honor, you know, to to

(14:22):
represent his zeland, but to be there in a winning
a moment like that, as yeah, is pretty special.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
Now, can you talk us through the conversations that led
to your international retirement.

Speaker 5 (14:33):
Yeah, it was tough.

Speaker 4 (14:35):
There was one of the hardest things I think I've
ever had to go through as a sportsman, as a player.
You know, when you feel like you still have something
to offer and you're there, you know, yeah, age is
for me personally, just a number. I'm still playing cricket
the moment domestically and still feel like, you know, you
can get a job done. But you know, I kind
of feel like, yeah, when when you're not doing as

(14:56):
well or you know you're going through a bit of
a tough patch.

Speaker 5 (14:58):
Sometimes it's part of a parcel of this sport and.

Speaker 4 (15:01):
The nature of it, and you know you only one
get him away from from that swinging round and know
what you can do with the experience you've you've gone
through throughout the years and and sort of felt like,
you know, I still had a bit to offer to
to get pulled up aside, and you know, I guess
thee oh the words where you know gets told you
your your career is over and we think you should retires.

(15:24):
It's tough, you know, you know, it took a while
to to sink in. It took a while to to
realize that, you know, for the team and for the
best thing forward, that it might be the right decision
and it's something that I'm going to have to do,
and you know, you think about the team first. I
guess in that moment. But yeah, it wasn't easy. It's

(15:44):
it's a tough thing. And like I said, when you
when you treasure something so much and it's been such
a big part of you for so long and you
want to be out there to to create more memories
to know that it just stops an instant like that. Yeah,
it wasn't easy, but hey, it's part of life and
part of a sportsman's journey, I guess in a way.
And again that's what I wanted to try and get

(16:06):
across this book because the learnings of that is that
I'm probably not the only guy to go through this.
I probably won't be the only guy to go through this,
and other people will go through it as well. The
mental stuff with that afterwards again was brutal. You know,
the lows you feel with that and having to pick
yourself up again and go again, it's pretty tough. And

(16:26):
that's what I wanted to try and achieve out of
this book, is to hopefully have an impact in someone's life,
because I know about a couple of people doing it
pretty tough out there at the moment.

Speaker 5 (16:35):
They're not alone. There's a lot of people go through
these sort of things.

Speaker 2 (16:38):
Of course, the two guys who you had the conversation with,
or two of them were Gary Stead and Tim Soudy,
coach and captain at the time. How's your relationship with
those two guys?

Speaker 4 (16:46):
Now, I've got a very good relationship with Tim. You know,
I've you know, sent him a text last night again
congratulating him with us. You know, he is a good mate.
We've we've shared the change him, you know, and some
real highs and lows together and a and a huge
friendship and we'll be friends of life, you know. It's
one thing of this whole black up set up. It's

(17:06):
been pretty amazing in that sense. And with Gary, you know,
I don't think it would have been easy for him.
I haven't really spoken to him after that, but I know,
you know, as a coach, it can't be it can't
be easy thing to do, and it's part of your job,
I guess in nature.

Speaker 5 (17:24):
But yeah, haven't really really spoken to him afterwards.

Speaker 4 (17:27):
But yeah, somewhere somewhere down the line, will probably sit
down every somewhere.

Speaker 2 (17:33):
What drove you to give absolutely everything you did when
you had not just the silver fern on your chest,
but any cricket shirt on. What where did that drive
come from?

Speaker 5 (17:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (17:47):
The once and will to you know, I guess, achieve
your dream and your goal that you wanted to do
number one, but number two, having felt throughout your whole
life that you're not really getting back to or people
don't really see what.

Speaker 5 (18:00):
You feel or believe that you can do.

Speaker 4 (18:03):
You know, you don't really get the backing, or you
don't really feel like people believe that you can do.

Speaker 5 (18:08):
I guess the job as good as other people can.

Speaker 4 (18:11):
And so for me, it was ultimately, you know, you
sort of always felt like you beck a little bit
against the wall and you've got to go out and
prove yourself over and over again. And I just had
to find this way of trying to prove people wrong
and show them and say, hey, I can do this job,
and I'll do it all day long. And that drove
me to, you know, stand up the whole time. The

(18:31):
amount of times they had to fall down and get
back up again was sort of something that told you
a lot. And I guess my wife was a huge
driver beyond the scenes with a lot of things, the
stuff she had to go through as well, and the
support she had to give me for my family and
stuff like that. You know, I knew it's a little
bit more than just playing for myself.

Speaker 5 (18:52):
You're representing them.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
You're playing for them as well, and to give them
a better life and put a roof over your head,
you know, there's a lot of stuff writing on this,
so you had to try and find a way, and
there's all their passions sort of came in and try
to live every time, I, you know, had they fund
on my chest.

Speaker 2 (19:09):
Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you
hadn't accepted the offer to come to Otaga.

Speaker 5 (19:13):
Gosh, I'll probably still live in my parents. I don't know. Gosh,
I've been trying to find some sort of job somewhere.

Speaker 4 (19:22):
Yeah, I don't know. It would have been a tough one.
There's so many ways we could look at it. I
don't know what have happened If I signed a county contract,
you know for two years, it would have been a considerb.

Speaker 5 (19:34):
More amount of money.

Speaker 4 (19:36):
You know, if I would have just finished as a
county cricket player or just you know, it might have
gone a different route and not play cricket as long
as I have or achieve what I have. But yeah,
no way, do I ever had any thoughts of looking back,
going what for what?

Speaker 6 (19:52):
How?

Speaker 4 (19:53):
It's just, you know, jumped at the opportunity, jumped on
that plane, and I sort of never looked back ever since.

Speaker 2 (19:59):
We recently did a poll on the air we put
together a list of New Zealand sports people who should
never ever have to buy a beer again. You got
heaps of votes. Man, do people buy you beers? They
surely do.

Speaker 4 (20:10):
May There's been a couple and I really appreciate it.
It's been pretty kind and pretty generous. There's been a
couple of times where people have rocked up of a
beer and it's been you know, you sort of feel
a little bit embarrassed, but it has been very awesome
to see how people have got around it and done
that by no means expected at all. I'd love to
actually just buy them a beer back, to be honest,

(20:31):
but yeah, it just shows you the nature and the
generosity and the kindness of Kiwis and how they get
amongst things and support sport and people. And it's body
awesome to see.

Speaker 2 (20:43):
You have a lot of people, a lot of pleasure
kneel across your career where delighted you accepted the offer
to come to Otago then obviously qualified to play for
New Zealand and did it for so long with such
humility but such exuberance, such success and a part of
a huge, hugely successful era in New Zealand. Cricket. The
book is cracking, mate, It's a really good read. I'd
recommend it to anybody. Congratulations on this and on your career.

(21:06):
Thanks for taking the time for a chat. Thank you
so much. Appreciate this. Thanks Matte, Thank you, Neil. Thanks
for stopping in.

Speaker 7 (21:11):
Mate.

Speaker 2 (21:11):
Neil Wagner. All out the name of the book it is.
It's a beauty. It's I read a lot of sporting autobiographies,
and as I said to Wags at the start of
that chat, you know, often they can just be, oh,
we played this team and here's what happened. But there's
a lot more to this one, a lot more to it.
I would recommend it all out. It's called You've heard

(21:32):
from Neil Wagner. Any of your favorite Neil Wagner memories
are welcome. Oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty. We also
talk just at the end. They're about the list of
ki we sports people who should never have to buy
a beer again. We put that list together. We've been
a couple of years ago. Now I dug it up
this morning. I'll read it out to you at some
stage in the next half hour or so. You might
even want to add to it. Kei Wei sportspeople. I

(21:55):
think there are sixteen. We came up with sixteen Kiwi
sports people who should never ever have to buy a
beer again. While we're talking Test cricket, I also wanted
to get a gauge from you on the upcoming Test
series against England, which is rushing up fast two and
a half weeks away from the first Test at Hagley Oval,
and how the back aps might approach it selection wise,

(22:17):
because after a Man of the series efforts in India,
I reckon it'd be very harsh to drop will Young
when came Williamson is fit enough to come back, which
by all accounts he will be for these Test matches.
And I'll figure out and this is this isn't rocket science.
Others have come to the same conclusion. There are two
ways to keep Will Young in the Test team when

(22:39):
came Williamson returns, I mean because Caine has to play right.
So there are two ways to keep will Young. And
the first one is you go with three seemas in
christ Church, you drop everybody down and go with three seemers.
So it's Conway, Latham, Williamson, Riven Young, Mitchell, Blundell, Phillips

(23:00):
and then three seemers, probably Henry Southy O'Rourke. That's the
first option. Second option you can play Will Young and
Kin Williams and push everyone down one and drop Glenn Phillips.
And I can't believe him saying it. You could drop
Glenn Phillips and go with four seemers. So you'd go
Conway Lath and Williamson, Revendery Young, Mitchell Blundell and then

(23:22):
four seemers Henry Southy O'Rourke and one of Jacob Duffy
or Nathan Smith. Or the third option is you could
leave Will Young out, which as I say, would be
very harsh. So then you'd have Conway Laith and Williamson,
Revendra of Mitchell Blundell, Phillips and your four seemers. I

(23:42):
have to say I'd go with option two for christ Church.
Option two. Much as I love Glenn Phillips and what
he brings to the team, he might be the one
who drops out for this Test. We need four seemers
in christ Church to get our twenty wickets, and we
can get our spinovers from Rich and Ravender if we

(24:04):
need them. What would you be doing? Oh, eight hundred
eighty ten eighty nine two ninety two for a text message.
Let's play selector for a little while, and your memories
of Neil Wagner are welcome as well. Oh eight hundred
eighty ten eighty ninety two ninety two if you would
prefer to send a text twenty nine away from one
back with your calls after this on Weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (24:25):
Don't get caught off sign call eight hundred eighty ten
eighty Weekend Sports with Jason Paine and GJ. Gunnobes, New
Zealand's most Trusted home Builder News sogs.

Speaker 2 (24:35):
V twelve thirty three. Okay, we need to get rid
of this idea that is coming through on text that
we don't have a specialist wicket keeper and Test cricket
people are saying, oh, it's easy, you just you just
drop Tom Blundell and Tom Lather or Devin Conway can
wicket keep. No, no, we're not talking about white ball

(24:56):
cricket here. It's not hit and giggle where the keeper
really doesn't touch the ball that much. We're talking about
Test match cricket where the wicket keeper is infinitely more
more important. And the two suggestions of Devon Conway and
Tom Latham just happened to be our opening batsman. So
what you want them to be out in the field

(25:16):
in in the wicket keeping role for what could be
a day or more and then straight away have to
go in and open the batting. No, no specialist wicket keeper.
And look, I know they're going to do it.

Speaker 8 (25:34):
That.

Speaker 2 (25:34):
There's no way in the world the black Caps will
go into a Test match against England without a specialist
wicket keeper. Ain't going to happen. Hello, Chris, you goin.

Speaker 9 (25:47):
Look, I agree with you, but I'll tell you something.
These days, the wicket keeper's got to score a Test
work keeps going to score runs. Blundell sort of runs
I would put him. I'd put him down to seven
and bring Phillips up to six.

Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yep, I'd that. I'd be that. I but the thought
of not having Look, even if it's not even if
it's not Blundle, even if you decide, okay, we're going
to try a different keeper, I don't know, Mitch Hay
or someone like that, it still has to be a
special scope. You're right, though, Chris, You've got to be
good at two of the three things, right, You've got
to be good at two of the three disciplines, and

(26:20):
because Tom Blundele can't bowl, he's obviously got to be
good with the bat as well. And as we know,
he is a very very fine batsman. But yeah, maybe
a bit short runs. I think they'll stick with him
for these Tests anyway.

Speaker 4 (26:31):
Oh, I don't know.

Speaker 9 (26:31):
I'm not suggesting. I'm not suggesting that at all. And
I think he's keeping generally is very very good. The
other thing is ration Ravenda had got out of there
that the rationals, which which young guys do. But I'll
tell you what he's got to be. I hope he
was told after that shot he played in the third
Test and the second innings, I mean that may have
may have gone towards costing. It's the tests. He needs

(26:52):
to cut that out, don't he after But he plays
one four ball, woman goes down the wicket today.

Speaker 2 (26:58):
Ja, Yeah, I can't remember. The incident was that in
the third Test. No second to the.

Speaker 9 (27:04):
Third Test and second innings we're on we're on shaky ground,
you know, we were behind. He came out, we were
effectively only we were knocked off the deficit, so we're
effectively two for twelve. He comes out and hits a
four then goes down the wicket for a massive slog.
On the second body faces and pants stumps him.

Speaker 2 (27:26):
I do remember it now, Chris, Yeah, I do remember
it now. Look, I feel like Rutchian Revender has got
quite a bit of credit in the bank still learning,
is think in many ways, although he's fairly proficient already.

Speaker 5 (27:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
Look, I think, particularly given the aging nature of our side,
Rutchian Revender is a fixture in there. I'm sure you're
not suggesting that we drop him as a fixture in
there for a decade or more. He can play cricket
for New Zealand as long as he likes, in any format.
As far as I'm concerned, we're all being up captaining
the side. Thanks Chris, appreciate it. Rich High mates, still
luxuriating in the Test series, went over India.

Speaker 10 (28:01):
Yeah, still sligning high Piney.

Speaker 6 (28:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (28:05):
It was just just incredible way it's just kind of
like someone pinched me to see this is true. It's
just oh man, it's still just crazy.

Speaker 11 (28:14):
How that how that serious played there?

Speaker 9 (28:16):
They?

Speaker 2 (28:17):
Oh absolutely, And and the more I watched it, the
more incredulous I became. But what was playing out? You know?
You know, I went over there for starters, which was
only the third one in goodness only knows how many years.
Then a series win, then a three nil sweep. It
just it just kept on, you know, it just kept
on becoming more and more incredible the longer the serious win.

(28:38):
And someone pointed this out as one might have even
been you, I only took eight and a half days
of Test cricket for us to win three nils.

Speaker 10 (28:45):
I know, yeah, you go from Shalika to there.

Speaker 11 (28:48):
It's just like if I had my.

Speaker 10 (28:50):
Time again, I probably would have put money on the
tapa and have a.

Speaker 8 (28:53):
Few few Shouder dollars in my wallet, you know.

Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah, absolutely, Hey what would you be doing? What would
you be doing team wise in christ Juche against England?

Speaker 10 (29:03):
Yeah, I think to me quite is that you can't
drop a little young.

Speaker 11 (29:08):
But I also kind of wonder that going forward.

Speaker 10 (29:11):
You know, I've talked about this with your on air
that with as much as i'd like four seemas in
our side, I'm kind of I'm over the whole one
dimensional side. So like when I look at our teamless,
so I probably have you know you coldwell, you're Latham,
You're Williamson Young, you know Mitchell Revenger of Phillips, Blundell,

(29:32):
and then you've got your three seems Is and you
know Phillips, and then you've got Henry O'Rourke and Soudi.

Speaker 8 (29:39):
And that's my only reason.

Speaker 10 (29:40):
It's just that I just want a bit of difference
when it comes to a bowling, rather than thinking, okay,
let's go with those four seamers like you do it. I mean,
if they do do that, then it's an opportunity for
someone like Sears or Duffy. But I think you know,
with what Phillips provides and that order.

Speaker 8 (29:57):
I mean, there's a lot.

Speaker 10 (29:58):
Of talk about laythan you know, or someone carrying the gloves,
but you can't have someone open in the bat and
being captain and.

Speaker 8 (30:05):
Then being the I could keep it.

Speaker 11 (30:06):
It's too much for a captain to do that.

Speaker 8 (30:09):
Well.

Speaker 2 (30:09):
I agree, Rich, I totally agree. I'm if Tom Latham
and Devin Conway never keep wicked and Test cricket, I'm happy.
You know, there's even been the suggestion Glenn Phillips keeps
wicket well. I remember speaking to him a year ago
and he said, I never ever want to wear the
wicket keeping gloves again in any form of the game.
So I mean, I guess if it was up, I
guess if that was the early under the team, he'd

(30:31):
probably say okay. But to me in Test cricket, it's
a special as wicket keeper at the moment at Blundle
and you make room around him. I think Ben's heres
might be injured at the moment mate too, so it'll
be dougher or maybe even maybe even a Test dabooth
for Nathan Smith, who I've always had a lot of
time for. But that's probably because he's a welling Tonian
like me.

Speaker 10 (30:52):
Yeah, exactly a near web of playing a phenomenal career.

Speaker 11 (30:57):
I mean, I think when we look about with the
wagon is that you.

Speaker 10 (31:01):
Know, unfortunately tough conversation said to be handed with age
and stuff that now we do have an aging bowling
side that you know, it's the same situation with Jimmy Anderson.
You know he had to be told.

Speaker 11 (31:12):
That it was time to retire.

Speaker 10 (31:14):
But you know, people talk a lot about that last
wickets at Wellington and that it was kind of funny
because yesterday that was the way I got out down
the league side and we and our seem lost by
foul runs, which was the.

Speaker 11 (31:30):
Down the league side. So it was a good movie
to think about it on Jesus.

Speaker 10 (31:34):
But but yeah, I think when you go look, one
thing I really loved about when it was just a
manner overs and especially in that twenty nineteen twenty twenty
Ossie series.

Speaker 11 (31:43):
Like yeah we had you know, yeah what.

Speaker 10 (31:48):
Fucking Ferguson breakdown and that perfect yeah and in that
perf he just bowled so many overs in that battle
between him and Matthew Wade. I think that was a
pretty good a good memory for him as well and
for me it is just the manner overse he bowled
and that kind of in that kind of heat pointing.

Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah, I think in a thanks Rich in a series
in that series where very few New Zealand players emerged
with any credit, that's the Three Test series over in
Australia back end of twenty nineteen into twenty twenty, very
few emerged with credit. He was one. He was definitely one.
Good to chat Rich. Thanks mate. Someone says Gilchrist is
one of Australia's greatest ever openers. Yes he is, but

(32:28):
never opened the batting in Test cricket. An absolutely superb
one day opener, but never opened the batting. Adam Gilchrist
in Test cricket. So again, Yeah, like I said, I
think I've made my point, my opinion fairly clear, and
I really don't think they'll do it. When was the
last time in New Zealand wickekeeper opened the batting in

(32:48):
Test cricket? You know, regularly eighteen away from one back?
With more of your calls after this.

Speaker 1 (32:55):
The Voice of Sport on your home of Sport Weekend
Sport with Jason Vyne and GJ. Gunners, New Zealand's most
trusted ome Builder News Talks be.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
Forty five talking Test cricket and team selection. Thanks for
holding Rob, good afternoon.

Speaker 11 (33:11):
Yeah, thanks Piney.

Speaker 12 (33:12):
Hey, I'm going to slice and dice it another way
for you. I totally agree with you about the keeper,
but I wouldn't drop Phillips one. He's probably the best
fielder in the team, the enthusiasm that he brings, and
he rips the ball more than anyone as a spinner.
So I'm going i'd slice and dice it a different way.

(33:33):
I would drop Conway so you can play your four seemers.
Conway is a manufactured opener. He's actually a stroke player.
He's a beautiful stroke player and really should come in
at five. But you can't leave Young out because he's
probably got the best defense in the team after Williamson.
So and England's going to have a lot of seamers

(33:56):
and very good seemers. I've always thought that Conway should
be coming in like four or five. He's been put
into a manufactured openers position. But if you have a
look at what's happened in India, Young's actually pretty much
played an opener anyway, and because of his technique he's

(34:16):
got through.

Speaker 2 (34:18):
Yeah, I think we gave Will Young was a wi
We saw Will Young open the batting, didn't we? And
Rob I saw some stats the other day, and of
course you can prove anything with stats that he averages
twenty two opening the batting for New Zealand and late thirties,
early forties further down, Yeah, a tough one. Devin Conway,
he had a pretty good series in and they've got

(34:39):
a couple of fifties.

Speaker 12 (34:41):
But look how quickly Young came in, either for Lathan
or for Conway in India. Look how quickly Young came
in to basically an opening position, and look what he did.

Speaker 2 (34:57):
Yeah, look it's an interesting I'm just going to bring
up the I'm going to bring up these test matches
and we can we can fact check it.

Speaker 7 (35:04):
Rober.

Speaker 2 (35:04):
Look, I remember, I think, yeah, I know I will
factchuck it and and often I mean, that's the that's
the that's the great peril of being a number three,
isn't it. You could you governor the first over, or
you can sit there of an opening partnership builds and
wait for a session or two to get in. But now,
I look, I don't think anything should be off the table.
I feel like Devin Conway should stay. That's my personal view.

(35:27):
I feel like he should stay. I take your point
about where about him being a manufactured opener. I think, yeah,
when he first arrived here, he was batting at three
or four, wasn't he for Wellington most of most of
the time.

Speaker 11 (35:36):
He's a beautiful straight player.

Speaker 12 (35:38):
He really is a straight player, but he is He's
been pushed into a manufactured opener. But Young's technique means
he has to be there and just just check whether
he came in for Blund or for Conway, and how
quickly he came in, how quickly we lost wickets, and
that and that and the tests and and then the

(36:00):
where Young came in.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
Well, thanks Rob, I appreciate it very much and I'm
like you, mate, I don't want to drop Philipside, but
I can't find another way of having young in there,
apart from obviously some of the things that you're suggesting,
and others have as well. I don't want to drop
Glenn Phillips either, but I look at the spin the
spin success we've had in christ Church, and I'm sure

(36:24):
you know this too. Very few wickets i think six
and ten years in christ taken by New Zealand spinners. Now,
of course you could say that's because we don't play
them down there, and maybe if we're getting the crack
it might be different. Good to chat, Rob, Always always
enjoy your point of view.

Speaker 5 (36:39):
Mate.

Speaker 2 (36:40):
Thanks for calling in and Hi Hi Jason.

Speaker 6 (36:43):
Yeah, thank you for putting those options in front of us.
That was very good because I was I must have
met us at the point of thinking about dropping Blundle.
But you've put a little of reason into that and
I'm with you on that now. But I guess caller
one or two callers ago said he's over there. You

(37:06):
know that having non variety, a lack of variety in
the bowling attack and even though even though Hagley Oval
and there are other pictures are not that spin friendly.
I think just for variety and Glenn Phillips, the player
that he is, he'll probably he'll probably squeeze a wicked

(37:27):
or two out of that, because that's the sort of
guy he is. And I'd go three three pace bowlers
and one and spit Phillips as the spinner and push
Phillips ahead of Blunder. Blunder might find himself batting number eight.

Speaker 2 (37:44):
Yes, yeah, and they may well do that, you know,
they may well say, Okay, if we can't get we
can't get our twenty wickets with three seems and the
spin of Phillips and maybe Revender, then are we really
going to get our twenty wickets with four seemers? You know,
it's it's I think Glenn Phillips has almost redefined how
our Test side constructed because his trajectory as a spin

(38:10):
bowler and as an effective wicket taking spin bowler who
can also bat and is absolutely dynamic in the field,
almost leaves him, you know, as indispensable to the Test
team now, even though I'm suggesting they might drop him.

Speaker 6 (38:25):
Yeah, yeah, And it's a pretty feel for Michael Bracewall,
because if he hadn't got injured, we'd probably be saying
that about him.

Speaker 2 (38:33):
I think you're probably right an good to chat mate. Thanks,
thanks for your point of view. I appreciate it very much.
Just before we go to the break, I'll just have
a look at the Rob asked for me to check
the scores in India, which I now have in front
of me. So in the first Test in Bengilarue, and
you take it from obviously the lowest scoring opener, yeah,

(38:53):
Lathan was out for fifteen in the first innings and
Norton the second, so clearly Young was in early there.
And the second Test in Poune, Lathan was out for
fifteen in the first innings, Conway for seventeen in the
second innings, again early ish, and then in the third Test,
Conway out for four in the first innings, Laith them
out for one and the second. So Rob, your logic

(39:13):
stacks up, mate, it does. Will Young was in reasonably
early in all six innings. I still don't think open
it is his best position. I don't think it's his
preferred position. But if you asked Will Young, do you
want to play test matches? But you'll need to open
the batting. Then I think it's say yes, of course
he would. It has been tried unsuccessfully. Really he got,

(39:37):
you know, got a couple of fifties. I think opening
in the batting. It's an interesting conundrum for Tom Latham,
Gary Stead and the others when they get to christ
Church ate away from One News stalks EB.

Speaker 1 (39:48):
When it's down to the line. You made a call
on eight Weekend Sports with Jason Hine us Talks.

Speaker 2 (39:55):
B five to one News TALKB. I said, read out
the list that we came up with of the Kiwi
sports people who should never buy a beer again, or
a drink again, whatever it is that they're after. Okay,
here's the list we came up with a couple of
years ago. Neil Wagner, Richie McCaw Dame Valerie Adams, Hamish
Bond and Eric Murray, Ross Taylor mcavacona, Dame Lisa Carrington,

(40:19):
Grant Elliott, Joannah nan Wu, Paul Cole, Dame Susan Devoy,
Sir Buck Shelford, Mark Graham, Barbara Kendall and Brendan McCallum.
That is a by no means definitive list of the
Kiwi sports people who should never have to buy a
drink again. If you see them out and about in

(40:43):
a bar or cafe or somewhere where you perhaps buy
them a drink, you should Well it's entirely over to you,
of course. But that's the list we came up with,
and I'm sure there are more to add. Mike says,
Blundell open the batting against austraight at the mcg and
got one of the best hundreds you'll ever see. Yeah
he did, Mike, but he wasn't keeping wicket that day
or in that Test. BJ Watling was the keeper. Then

(41:06):
take your point. He can open the batting, could open
the batting. But again, the idea of a wicket keeper
opening the batting and Test cricket, that just doesn't sit
well with me. I just think they chelse on their plate,
particularly if they've had a long day and a half
in the field, then have to come off and go
straight back out there and open the batting. It just
doesn't feel right to me. Good chack, folks, thanks for

(41:26):
joining the conversation. After the one o'clock news, a second
NRL franchise in New Zealand. Could it happened.

Speaker 1 (41:34):
The only place to discuss the biggest sports issues on
and after field. It's all on weekends forward with Jason
Vaide on your home of Sport.

Speaker 11 (41:48):
On seven.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
Thanks for spending some time with us just a weekend
sport on news Talk, said me. I'm Jason Pine Andy
McDonald here too, and we are with you until three
o'clock this afternoon. In just a second. The question of
a second NROL franchise for New Zealand has been in
the spotlight again this week. Want to drill down into
that before we do, though, I read out before one

(42:10):
o'clock our list of Kiwi sports people who should never
buy their own drink. Again. It was the catalyst for
an influx of texts suggesting others who weren't on that list. Look,
I said before, it's not exhaustive, it's not definitive, and
many of you agreed. Piney, Richard Hadley, what about sir?

(42:34):
Richard says this one should be number one. You need
John Fitzpatrick to your list, says this one where's Dan?
Carter asks another Jason, please add Joel King and Mus
says Heiney, No, Beaver, you make a very good point, actually, Muss,
Beaver should be on that list. I'm not sure why

(42:55):
he isn't and without wanting to drop his name, I've
been out with Beaver a couple of times and I
can tell you this, he would not turn down a
drink free otherwise. Have you got suggestions fire and through
on text nine two nine two. We might have to
make a what do they call it when you print

(43:17):
a book and you add more to it a reprint?
Probably we might have to redo the list, reprint the list.
If you've got a suggestion of a Kiwi sportsperson who
should never buy their own drink again, TEXTA three to
nineteen niney two. In the meantime, a third bidder has
emerged in the quest to win an Narl for christ

(43:39):
Church as expansion from seventeen to twenty teams remains very
much a live conversation. During the week, the Southern Orca
publicly unveiled a proposal to play out of the new
Tech Kaha Stadium. It claims to have sixty million dollars
in funding from South Island based private investors and is
looking to establish a twenty hectare one hundred million dollars

(44:01):
Center of Excellence at Rolleston with seven training fields gymnasium
and medical facilities. Now it's the third group in christ
Church to express interest. The South Island NRL bid team
was the first that included a number of long time
Canterbury Rugby league personnel, including respected former Keiwis coach Frank Endicott.

(44:22):
Then there was the South Island keya bid driven by
former NRL New Zealand Rugby and Welsh Rugby Union chief
executive David Moffatt. And now there's the third one. All
three seem keen to push ahead with their own proposals
despite apparent ambivalence from the NRL, And from what I
can understand, and we might need to find out a

(44:43):
bit more about this, there doesn't seem to be any
great desire to work together. In fact, in some quarters
there seems to be a distinct reluctance to do that.
Anyway we can get to that, Let's bring in regular
contributed Weekend Sport longtime and respected rugby league journalist Brad
Walter to give us a view from the other side
of the Tasman on this brand. Let's start there. What

(45:04):
is the appetite at the NRL for as in New
Zealand side in any plans for an expanded competition.

Speaker 8 (45:13):
Oh look, I think it's pretty strong. I think there's
no doubt that well, there is no doubt that Papua
New Guinea is he's looking good, you know, is pretty
much over the line.

Speaker 11 (45:25):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (45:25):
And then so that would be an eighteenth team.

Speaker 7 (45:28):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (45:29):
And there's obviously been a lot of talk about Western
Australia as well, so ensuring that it's the right model
and the right proposal in Western Australia, I think there's
a there's a rule, there is clearly an appetite for
that to happen as well. You've just got to look
at the public comments that are being made around that
and then you know, a second New Zealand team. I

(45:51):
think it's something that the NRL has been eyeing off
for some time, as you know. But again, it's got
to it's gotta it's got to add up, it's got
to stack up. It's got to be financial and it's
going to ensure that there's going to be more players,
you know, more junior part ways and more players coming
into the game. As well as being a sound financial model,

(46:11):
it's got to grow the game in a new market
or in a you know, to add to what we
already have in New Zealand. The game has with through
the Warriors. The time zones obviously are great to have
a second New Zealand team. I think, you know, if
we had another New Zealand team, so we had two
teams in New Zealand, we'd basically could you know, and

(46:32):
I'm just hypothesizing here, we're gonna have a team playing
a you know, a home game in New Zealand every week.
The Derby picture would be sensational. And if we had
a team in Perth, then we've got that those those
time zones where in the winter, New Zealand's two hours
ahead of Sydney and the East Coast of Australia and

(46:52):
Western Australia is two hours behind, so that enables us
to have a bigger spread of time zones and kickoff
times et cetera, et cetera to fill the time slots.
So I think, yeah, look, I think there's definitely an
appetite for a second New Zealand team. It's fantastic that
there's three bids in christ Church, so that that would

(47:14):
suggest that the people that are behind it think that
christ Church is viable and is the place to have
a team. But you know, but I would also be
concerned that there are three bids. I imagine at some
stages that I've got to come together or some have
got to pull out, because it sort of seems weird
to have from just from an outsider looking in, not

(47:36):
knowing the finances or not knowing that all the details
of those bids, it just sort of seems a little
bit weird to have three bids in the one city,
effectively competing for each other. But also a lot of
what they bring is the same. They're all going to
play at the same stadium, they're all going to have
imagine a high performance center of some sort, or you know,

(47:57):
they're basically attracting competing, and you know, they'll be whoever
gets the license, it's the same set of fans, it's
the same you know, it's the same play as local
players that they'll be trying to attract us. So they'll
be playing at the same venue. So what sets those
bits apart or you know, or they come together and
combine into hopefully a super bit. I think that's the key.

Speaker 7 (48:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (48:23):
Oh look, I could not agree more. Brat and weird
is exactly the right word to use, because Yeah, when
three are competing in such a small market for what
will be one franchise. Yeah, it just seems so obvious
that they should be getting together. Anyway we can, we
can leave that further down the track. Just in terms
of time frame. You talked about the Perth Bears, You

(48:43):
talked about pop on New Guinea as teams eighteen and nineteen.
What's the timeframe we're talking about here, mate? Who would
be in first? When would that happen? Would they coming
together teams eighteen and nineteen? What's the time frame you're hearing?

Speaker 8 (48:57):
Oh, look, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but the
you know, think twenty twenty seven, twenty twenty eight is
the is the time frame that's been looked at because
of the broadcast deal. Broadcast deals up in twenty twenty eight,
so that's when they'd be talking to broadcasters about what
the seasons structure would look like, the number of teams,
all of those things would all be part of the

(49:18):
next broadcast deal, whether all the teams come in. Look,
I don't know. I'm not privy to the plans, and
I don't know whether until the bids are until until
there's enough you know, the bids were rejected, so I
think that needs to be out there on the table
that the NRL or the aar l C, the AARL
Commission rejected eight bids for the only one that's basically

(49:42):
that his go or is going to proceed to the
next level is Puppy New Guinea. And that's really why
the Graham Low Andrew Charmer's bid that was announced a
few days ago in Sydney. The reason they went public
is because they'd been you know, they've been operating behind
the scenes. They hadn't been publicly known, but they they

(50:06):
were one of three bidders that submitted to the NRL
or the a RLC and were rejected, along with Perth
and some bids in Queensland as well. So the time,
so the time frame that's going to depend on the
bids and how good the bids are. For one, when
they're ready to go. I know that the latest bid,

(50:29):
the Southern ucast, I think they said they could go
in twenty twenty six if they had to. I don't
think anyone's really looking for a team to come in
that soon, and I think to get to twenty teams,
the timeframe that's been mentioned is twenty teams by twenty
thirty two, when the Brisbane Olympics are on to coincide
with the Brisbane Olympics for reasons I'm not one hundred

(50:52):
percent sure of why, you know, what the link there is,
but yeah, i'd imagine, I said TV Earl in twenty
twenty eight, so we'd be looking at, you know, teams
starting to come in from maybe twenty twenty seven onwards.
I doubt that three teams would come in all at once.
You know, we haven't had expansion on this level since

(51:12):
nineteen ninety five, so it's hard to know, you know,
looking just a potted history of expansion, we had the
canber Raiders and the Elora Steelers came back into early
came in in the early eighties together, and then we
had the in nineteen eighty eight, we had the Broncos,
the Newcastle Knights and the Gold Coast Giants as they

(51:34):
were called back then, came in that year. Then we
had expansion in nineteen ninety five when we brought in
the Auckland Warriors, the Perth or the Western Reds, North
Queensland Cowboys and the South Queensland Crushes, which were who
were based in Brisbane and then there was no expansion.
It was contraction and then until the Gold Coast Titans
came in two thousand and seven, the Mery the Melbourne

(51:57):
Storm did come in at the end of the Super
leagu War in ninety nine, gold Coast Titans in two
thousand and seven, and then nothing until the Dolphins last year.
So it's a bit, you know, like this, I don't
know what the perfect model is how it all roll,
but there's definitely an appetite for expansion. And the fantastic
thing is that there are bids and teams that want

(52:20):
to join the NRL now right across Australia and in
New Zealand and in the South Island. So yeah, I
think it's just, you know, a lot of work needs
to be done to make sure that those bids are
up to scratch and also that it's going to be
viable and sustainable for the competition.

Speaker 2 (52:39):
So just on the fact that the bids, all of
them pretty much apart from the Papua New Guinea one,
were rejected when they were submitted, Brad, that doesn't mean
that that doesn't equate to ambivalence or if we just
you know, go specifically with the New Zealand bid. That's
not the NRL saying we don't want another team in
New Zealand. It's just them saying this hasn't ticked all

(53:01):
of our boxes. Is that a fair assessment?

Speaker 8 (53:03):
Correct? There? One hundred percent? It's the basically saying we
want a better a better bid. I suppose that's stronger bid,
you know, Yeah, that's right. We're not happy with We're
not satisfied with everything that we've submitted. And basically, if
if you still want to, if he's still keen, and
if you think you can submit at a better bid,

(53:24):
well then obviously there's the opportunity to do so. I
don't I think, you know, from what I've heard from
the various bid teams that the ones that have gone public,
they they don't exactly know, you know, what's you know,
why they haven't received feedback individually on why each bid,

(53:44):
you know, on the specific details of maybe you know
why Bid X didn't you know, didn't didn't tick all
the boxes or whatever. So that's obviously for them to
work out, you know, and they've got to try and
figure out exactly, you know, what what the NRL wants.
But yeah, I think it's it's they said, it's great
that there's three bids in christ Church. I think that

(54:04):
probably does confirm confirms to me in my mind that
there are a lot of people who think christ Church
is the place, because I would reckon that if you
look at New Zealand, you know, and the idea of
a second team, it's always but the question has always
beemed to where would you base it? So that certainly
sounds like a lot of people have come to the
conclusion that christ Church is the place. So that's I

(54:25):
think that's good for christ Church. I think that's good
for the likelihood that at some stage is going to
be a team there, you know, and we're obviously getting
we're adding closer to that and we're really talking about
it publicly now.

Speaker 2 (54:39):
Absolutely, and you're dead right, I mean, christ It's just
that is the obvious place. New stadium coming, good league
for ternity, good crowds for a recent international matches. Just
don't pop on your Guinea, Brad. What's the attraction of
an NRL franchise based in PNNG for the NRL.

Speaker 8 (54:55):
Well, a number of things. First of all, Papi New Guinea,
as we all know, is rugby league math it's got
a population of twelve million plus rugby leagues and national sport.
There's a lot of playing talent be it's probably never
been the pathways have probably never been structured like like

(55:15):
they are in Australia and New Zealand. But that's that
sort of work is happening now. There's like incredibly strong
support from both Australia and the Puppy and New Guinea governments,
so there's a lot of you know, there's a lot
of money there as well, but there's a lot of
money in Pappy in New Guinea, regardless of government funding.
Has said there's a lot of playing talent that will

(55:37):
help or fill more teams, because that's what that's one
of the questions that's always asked if you bring in
another team, is there enough talent? Well, Pappa New Guinea's
going to supply a lot of talent and it's fairly
untapped in terms of at NRL level. But we're seeing
with the performances of the Kummels in the in the
in the Pacific Championships that we're seeing how much talent

(55:58):
there is there and basically hardly any of these players
play in the NRL. So but they look like they're
r already and that's just I think the tip of
the iceberg. So uh so, you know, I think they're
probably the main things. And obviously you know what's in
it for the government. I suppose you could say, why
do they want to invest so much money? And it's

(56:18):
it's common knowledge, well publicized. Australian government's putting in six
hundred million dollars. Pappy in Guinea government will be you know,
will be investing as well to get to get it started.
It's it's it's you know, a lot of it's around,
you know, the Pacific and the battle with China or
the influence of China and the Pacific and how do

(56:39):
we counter that. So I've just been to Fiji. There's
no doubt for the for the Pacific Championships, there's no doubt.
It's it's really obvious there that the influence at China
is trying to have and that's it's all around the Pacific.
So you know, the Australian government and other governments, New
Zealand government, US government, et cetera. They're they're trying to

(57:01):
sort of counter that influence. And Rugby League in Puppy
in New Guinea is what is one to do that
that's but that's one reason. But you know, from a
rugby league point of view, it said, it's Australia's closest neighbor.
It's it's got untapped rugby league resources. Though fanatical about it,
it's a new audience, it's a new the playing pathways,

(57:22):
the potential of the playing pathways are incredible. And yeah,
there's a you know, really really strong relationship between Australia
and puppy in New Guinea which would be massively, massively strengthened.
And I think also from a uh you know, from
a point of view of the game, and also you
know the government too. It's a way of improving the quality,

(57:45):
the standard of living, the quality of life, encouraging kids
to go to school, getting people better educated, all those
things through the power of sport and rugby leagu's king
and Pappi New Guinea. So yeah, so there's there's a
there's a lot of reasons you know that go right
across the board, from pure football down to you know,
influence of China and the Pacific or countering that to

(58:08):
try to list and raise the standards and also from
financial point of view as well.

Speaker 2 (58:16):
All right, so let's say they're run let's eighteen. Let's
say Perth get across the line too, that's nineteen. If
we get to twenty, who would be the other rivals
the main rivals to christ Church for that twentieth side.

Speaker 8 (58:30):
Okay, so I think so the teams that missed out,
the bids that missed out when the Dolphins came in
are still around. The Brisbane Tigers, who are massive, I
like the Dolphins, you know, the established club being around
for a long time, successful with the big league club,
a lot of money behind them. And then you've got

(58:53):
the Ifswitch Jets who have teamed up with the Newtown Jets.
But basically it's a team in the southeast corridor of
Queensland and or the Southwest corridor, sorry in down in
southern southern Queensland there and it's a massively growing area.
It's got lots of It's sort of like the Penrith
of Brisbane. I suppose you would say, look how successful enerthies.

(59:17):
And also like you know, there's a battle going on
with a fl for I suppose the the talent and
the fans and the and the population of those areas.

Speaker 7 (59:27):
So you know.

Speaker 8 (59:29):
So that's that's that's one of the things that that
area offers. So I think they're the two main ones.
There may be some others, and those two bids were
competing with the Dolphins before the Dolphins came in. Both
as said, they're both both strong, strong bids. Established clubs
playing in the Queensland Cup competition. Bristane Tigers, especially East Tigers,

(59:51):
been around for a long time, have great facilities. That's
where a lot of the n l W games have
been played this year at their stadium. Totally work where stadium,
so it's you know, small boutique stadium that they have
in Brisbane. So yeah, there's there's strong bids that I think,
you know, the game just expanded and brought in a
second a second Queensland team or a second Brisbane team,

(01:00:15):
So you know, I think I don't know, look the
sort it's off a media side. I don't know that
the details of any of those bids whatsoever, but there
obviously is there is some some there is support there
and there is a lot of interesting in christ Church
great stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:00:32):
Brad Well. Nothing would please me more than hosting you
at the new christ Church Stadium at some stage in
the next few years to watch to watch a game
between a christ Church side and another NRL side, really
appreciate you.

Speaker 8 (01:00:45):
I'll just say this, the Southern orchest versus the Warriors,
how big was the first, very first game. Sorry, if
it is the Southern August a christ Church team.

Speaker 11 (01:00:55):
You know whether that's the KA or whether it's the
other bid.

Speaker 8 (01:00:58):
But h hopefully they can sort it out and we
get the strongest possible bid. A christ christ Church team
or a South Island team versus the Warriors. That would
be I reckon that would rival that very first game
when the Warriors played the Brisbane broadcast in nineteen ninety five.

Speaker 2 (01:01:15):
Totally agree, Brad. Again, great to get your analysis. Thanks
for joining us across New Zealanders.

Speaker 8 (01:01:19):
Always no pleasure to speak to you soon.

Speaker 2 (01:01:22):
Yeah, look forward to that, Brad. Thanks indeed, Brad Walter
wrapping a lot of context and detail around that for
it's your chance to react. Now you've heard from Brad,
You've probably done a bit of reading and listening on
this sort of thing. Oh, eight hundred and eighty ten eighty,
what is your gut feel on whether this is possed?
You see a time where there are two New Zealand

(01:01:42):
based sides playing in the NRL. It feels from listening
to Brad there and from the reading that I've done,
like the Papua New Guinea one is pretty much a
done deal right. It's got a lot of federal government
backing and looks as though that is a done deal
almost across the line. Perth similarly, is one that I
know they're very keen to do to increase their geographical

(01:02:04):
footprint across Australia and get a Perth team there. So
that's what nineteen teams if and when Papua New Guinea
and Perth joined the NRL. So what are the chances
of christ Church side being number twenty? I think we
would all absolutely love it, wouldn't we. I don't think

(01:02:24):
there's anyone who wouldn't want another professional sports team here
in New Zealand, and christ Church just seems like the
perfect place for it. They love their league in christ Church,
big crowds for any game down there, including the recent internationals,
brand new stadium coming of course in twenty twenty six.

(01:02:46):
It just seems like the perfect place, which leads me
to ask a question which it seems silly to be asking.
This but why are there three bids? Why are there
three bids and not just one? Why aren't these three
budding NRL franchisees getting together? Christ listeners? What are you

(01:03:12):
hearing in your city? In league fans in general? Can
you see your time when there is an NRL New
Zealand derby work pretty quickly in the A League. We
saw what that looked like a week or so ago.
How good would it be to have two NRL sides
based here in New Zealand? What are you thinking? What
are you hearing? What are you hoping? One twenty nine

(01:03:33):
News Talks. He'd be oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty
back with your calls on this right after this.

Speaker 1 (01:03:39):
The big issues on and after fields call oh eight
hundred eighty ten eighty weekends forward with Jason.

Speaker 7 (01:03:45):
Paine and GJ.

Speaker 1 (01:03:46):
Gunner Homes new Zealand's most trusted home builder, News Talk.

Speaker 2 (01:03:50):
BB twenty eight minutes away from to James mccony before
two o'clock. But we're talking a second NRL franchise in
New Zealand, almost certainly in christ Church, No lyle, what
are you thinking?

Speaker 13 (01:04:03):
Well, first of all, my year, the country and teams's
plenty of talent over there, no doubt, and the needs
to body be won without a christ Church. But let's
look he's involved. Graham Lowe, him and Malcolm Boyle bought
the Warriors with about a million dollars of their own
money and the rest of ty knui which should not
have been allowed to happen, money to be spent on
mar yef them. We go to Andrew Charmons his involvement

(01:04:27):
in Bradford Northern where he can just google and read
all that. And the third guy involved, as far as
I can see, is a bloke called Michael Sell. Michael
Sell was heavily involved with the Titans. He built the
sinker of excellent tear, which is all good, but he
sent well hundreds of tradees are insolvent, they went bust.

(01:04:49):
He left money run or his organization left money owing left,
right and center to a kind of Subby's and trading
here on the Gold Coast. So yeah, another thing for
christ Shirt. But as for sixty million, good luck to
them if they've got it. But I'm glad none of
those were involved in touching any of my money.

Speaker 2 (01:05:09):
It just seems as though it's I mean that aside,
and obviously that's a big part of it. Lylan, you know,
I'm sure due diligence will be done, but it just
seems so bizarre that in a city of christ Church's
size there are three separate bids. I feel like egos
must be at play here, rather than hovering above all
of this and saying, what is the best way of

(01:05:30):
us all working together to bring a side here.

Speaker 13 (01:05:34):
Well, you hit the nail right on the head. Egos
definitely involved in anything that the Lowe's involved. He has
to be front and center. Now he's done a lot
for rugby league, but he's a bloke that needs to
fade into the background. He's had his time and got
luck to him, but it's like a drug. I think
with Graham he has to be involved. But if they
really all love the game, they'll get together and put

(01:05:56):
forward on one bid. As looking at the other two.
A few people that I've heard involved there, I think
the same thing would apply. Needs to bury the egos
for But yeah, I think the NRL, before the three
guys I mentioned you get involved in, I think they
really need to look at it closely. We had to
sell out the Warriors in the end to Eric Watson

(01:06:17):
as a fire sail. So whilst the man's passion for
the game can't be questioned, is this is those skills
would have to be Sorry.

Speaker 2 (01:06:32):
Well lost you there lot? All right? Thanks mate. I
take it back to the to the point about the
United Front, and I think at times like this you
have to hover above this. You have to take your
own ego out of things and say, right, what is
the best way for us to stand up an NRL

(01:06:55):
team in christ Church? What is the best way for
us to make this happen? Because they're all going to
be after the same sponsors, they're all going to after
the same backers, they're all going to be after the
same players and the same fan base. They all want
to play out of tekaha, which is obviously logical. So

(01:07:18):
why not get around a table. They're all well aware
of one another, they all know about the other two bids. Yes,
I'm sure there are some headstrong personalities involved here, of
course there are. And that word ego always seems to
come to play. Now. Ego is not always a bad

(01:07:38):
thing because it drives confidence and drives positivity, But when
it gets in the way of collaboration, that's when ego
becomes a problem. Collaboration is what is needed here. Whoever
is involved in these three French decision makers at all

(01:07:59):
of them need to get around a table because each
of their three separate bids, as we've heard there from
Brad Walter, has initially been rejected by the NRL. They've
sent the bid back and said no, not up to
where we need it to be. So to join forces, guys,

(01:08:20):
for goodness sake, for the good of the game, Join horses.

Speaker 6 (01:08:25):
Hello market, Good afternoon, buddy.

Speaker 14 (01:08:30):
I can't see the logic in what that guy had
just said before about the three teams that they've got
not organized, but the three teams I've got considering for
the induction into the NRL. Now, I lived in Perth
for thirty thirty years. We had a team there in Perth,
the Western Reds.

Speaker 10 (01:08:50):
Didn't work.

Speaker 14 (01:08:51):
They got kicked out. Why are they considering a team
which is dominated by AFL slash cricket slash football with
a team that's already had a team in there and
been kicked out once before because it didn't work.

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
I think geography, Mark, I think they wanted a greater
geographical footprint that they're obviously keen to revisit it you know,
they're willing to put the past behind them and say, Okay,
it didn't work last time, let's make it work this time.
As I've been reading this morning, I did quite a
bit of reading on this, it sounds as though behind
Papa New Guinea perthose the next one that looks very

(01:09:32):
very keen on.

Speaker 14 (01:09:33):
They had some very good players there that don't get
me wrong, but it just didn't work because of or
especially AFL. It is It's cis an AFL state, full stop.

Speaker 2 (01:09:45):
And we Australia talking.

Speaker 15 (01:09:50):
Yes, yes, I went to a few games while I
was living there and they were enjoyable. But those games
were played at the old Whacka and really the crowds
weren't huge, And to say.

Speaker 14 (01:10:02):
It didn't work and they got they got asked to
leave or they got kicked out and they were the
Western Reds.

Speaker 2 (01:10:12):
I guess as far as an AFL status concerned, Mark,
you might say the same thing about Victoria. And yet
the Melbourne Storm have been very successful there, haven't they.
So I don't know that the fact that it's an
NRL state would necessarily be an absolute turn off. It
clearly isn't for the NRL. They want a team there.
Adelaide's another one. South Australia is a huge AFL state.

(01:10:34):
We've got a couple of AFL sides there, haven't they
massive AFL state. Don't play any ragged league there, well
not certainly not to NRL level. But I haven't seen
any suggestion that they might try and start a team
up an Adelaide. But yeah, as far as as far
as Victoria is concerned, I mean a lot of a
lot of Victorian sports fans don't know that there are

(01:10:54):
other sports apart from AFL. And yet the Melbourne Storm
have been really successful. It feels like Perth is going
to happen. Papa New Guinea is going to happen. That's
absolutely big one question now, in fact, they're acting announcement
on that in the next couple of weeks. Yes, it's
a political move, absolutely it is. It's absolutely a political move.

(01:11:15):
Do some reading on the pupa New Guinea Bird and
who's behind it and the money's being thrown in by
the Federal Government of Australia to back this pup on
New Guinea Bird and of course there is politics behind it,
but it's fun. Nothing surer Papua New Guinea will be
playing in the NRL in the next five or six
years without question, and I get the feeling Perth will
be as well. It's where the christ Church can and

(01:11:37):
I hope that they can find a way to get
around a table. As I say, thrash it out. Put
together a superbid, a megabid, a united bid and say, hey,
NRL pick us up as number twenty. How good would
it be a christ Urch NRL team against the Warriors.

(01:11:57):
I'd be buying a ticket one for when we come back.
James mcconey here on News Talks, he'd be.

Speaker 1 (01:12:03):
One crutch hold n Gage Sports with Jason him and GJ. Gunderholmes,
New Zealand's most trusted O Milder News Talks V.

Speaker 2 (01:12:14):
One forty three on News Talks, EDB. Let's get to
James mcconey, a regular part of our Sundays. So much
to talk about, James, Can we start with all Blacks Ireland.
You've given it the overnight test as we all have.
What stands out most about yesterday's win in Dublin for you?

Speaker 11 (01:12:30):
Well, Look, I don't usually do this, pony, but I
think I'm ready to talk about tight forwards. I think
I am.

Speaker 2 (01:12:38):
Ready, fair enough, fair enough.

Speaker 11 (01:12:40):
Let's do this, Let's do this. I think Moore was huge.
It was a big step up for him because he
came in replacing Cody Taylor. Questions about his throwing, but
he was massive and that assists that the pickup offers bootlacers,
so tis he actually had to scoop one up before
him as well. But Will Jordan's try, our only try,

(01:13:01):
I think was just crucial clutch play from him. And
can't say enough about him. You must have been stoked
as as a Canes man.

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
I loved it, loved watching us off for one more
and I thought, you know, you talk about core roles.
One of these trendy phrases thrown into the line out,
there was just that one at the start that was
not straight. Ireland didn't contest. There was some confusion around
whether that's actually a rule at the moment or not
in the Autum inter Nationals. But otherwise I think around
the field great, he made his tackles and his line

(01:13:32):
out throwing was good.

Speaker 11 (01:13:34):
Yeah. And then beside him, I think our front rowers,
the props have been outstanding, the reserves coming on torssi
and talking the fussy the best in the world really
in terms of steadying the scrum. They almost unplayable. You
could tell the Irish we're not keen on scrum. The
guy with the corners was dreading it when he had
to come back on and it's been subbed off and

(01:13:57):
he just said, no, please, don't make me face another bohema.
And so I think the other thing is Patrick twopule
or too. I just want to give a special shout
out to him because I think he's been world class
for a long time and a beast for a long time,
but we just haven't seen him play in big all
black tests, and that's mainly because of Brittallic and White

(01:14:17):
Lock and Scott Barrett. They formed a sort of blockade
where you've got your three world class locks, but Toy
plot to us every bit world class. And so it's
actually we're lucky that he's still around and playing at
that level, because I don't I think only South Africa
can emulate that by bringing it on.

Speaker 7 (01:14:36):
R G.

Speaker 11 (01:14:36):
Stamen rights as a world class Locke substitute.

Speaker 2 (01:14:40):
Absolutely, Scott Barrett too, Paulvai, who's really come on, and
Patrick Tweekoloto. It's a good little a good little trio
a good, big trio of big second rowers to choose from. Hey,
now I've done the sums twenty three thirteen. That's thirty
six points in that game. This morning at TWIG both
England and Australia scored that many by themselves forty two

(01:15:03):
thirty seven no defense.

Speaker 11 (01:15:05):
I know it's crazy really, but I mean, look, the
thing is what they did though, is by picking Joe Schmidt,
by picking Joseph Suelee was just straight away gave him
X factor, something they've been missing. And it shows the
difference of having an X factor player on your team.
But the All Blacks have the opposite problem. This is

(01:15:26):
an abundance. You know, we leave someone like you know,
Hoskin Situso at home and then we bring you know,
unearthed satisia Is. There's no no drama in the end
because we were a really replacing it with X factor.
But I think the Wallabies desperately needed that. Jorgensen and
then his last minute to try, he's got a bit
of that too, so it helps. And I think if
you go back to the Island Test, that's what they missed.

(01:15:48):
They don't really have that much X factor probably, and
when I say expected I'm talking about athleticism that can
just change the game. They probably haven't had that since
Pino DRIs school. But one thing I did want to
touch on Piney was how good can Royguard was off
the bench. I thought he was exceptional, but in the
in the first half, Nick Berry did poor quartiers at

(01:16:11):
art in no favors. It was an absolute shambles. And
you know, when you didn't give an Irish player a
yellow card, I thought, this is the last straw of Berry,
and then you know, the Irish fans are saying, you're
like another all black berry, and then by the end
of the game some of them wanted to poison Berry.
I'm pretty sure.

Speaker 2 (01:16:31):
What a goose berry is. Anyway, let's move on to
that's a little bit of home kind. But I just
wanted to join in really more than any It's.

Speaker 11 (01:16:43):
A good one brainstorming with me.

Speaker 1 (01:16:46):
Thank you?

Speaker 2 (01:16:48):
Oh I love it, love it? Hey Now. Chris Wood
has been named the Premier League's Player of the Month
for October a Kiwi winning the Premier League's PFA Player
of the Month, which is voted for, as I understand it,
by his fellow professionals.

Speaker 16 (01:17:02):
What an akala for Chris Wood, I know, four goals
in three games, just the difference maker owning the stage.
And I think I said to you before that without
Harry Kane there, they have to talk about someone, and
it's now Chris Wood when it comes to strikers because
you've got Erling Harlan and the next name on everybody's

(01:17:23):
lips is Chris Wood, which is wonderful to see. I
don't think you know, there's never been a New Zealand
player that's one Premier League Player of the Month or
Nottingham Forest player.

Speaker 11 (01:17:32):
You go back and it's all the big clubs with
a couple of outliers. But what I think it does
because what's happened here is Forest a third on the table,
so you're Liverpool are first, and then man City who
lost overnight a second. Then it's Forrest and Brighton and
I'm thinking, could Forrest or Brighton do what listed it

(01:17:53):
in twenty sixteen and be you know, absolute anomaly winning
the Premier League? And well maybe they could, but unfortunately
I think Brighton the better equipped to do it.

Speaker 2 (01:18:06):
Yeah, I feel like that too, and I don't know
whether either of them will. I would love to see it,
and even the Liverpool fan and me would love to
see it because Lester is one of the all time
great Premier League stories. But yeah, I just wonder, well,
who knows. We're only ten or eleven games and aren't
we so not even about a third of the way
through the season, so who knows? But I think what
it's done for Forrest though, is getting these points early

(01:18:29):
in the season means that you can you can afford
to go through a bit of a slump mid season
or early in the new year, and you're still going
to be okay. You're not going to find yourself in
a relegation battle because you've already you've already banked a
whole bunch of points at the start of the season exactly.

Speaker 11 (01:18:42):
And one thing, like people out there is to go,
I'm vaguely aware of Chris Wood, what why is he
so good? What's he like? Well, the thing about Chris
Wood is and he doesn't get many chances and he
buries them. So this is the thing, if you are
if you compare him to say Gabriel Jesus, he's played
a similar amount of games to Chris Wood and they've
both got a similar amount of Premier League goals. Chris

(01:19:03):
Wood is actually a head on seventy seven to Zeus
seventy three. But bluddy Jay Zeus has played for Man
City and Arsenal, meaning how many chances he gets every
single game? I mean out there Chris Wood is out
there starving for chances and makes it count and he's
just clinical. And yeah he's a six yard box, big
heading center forward, but he can score them from anywhere.

Speaker 2 (01:19:29):
Yep, they all count for one. Hey, quickly on the
black Caps. We're in a T twenty series over in
Sri Lanka at the moment on New Zealand one thirty
five all out in the twentieth over. In the first one,
Shri Lanka got there with an over despair. Zach Folks
though he scored twenty seven off sixteen balls batting it
twenty seven not out. That is a bet of sixteen
balls banning at number nine and then comes out and

(01:19:49):
gets three for twenty. Who is Zach Folks exactly?

Speaker 11 (01:19:53):
Good question? Who is Zach Folks? Well, he's from Canterbury.
I think he went to Sir Andrews. He's a tall
batting all round it, but obviously bowls pretty well as
a medium pacer. This is the thing, the pr machine
does not work well enough for cricket that we're going
Who is that, folks? He made his debut in April,
poneys and you think about any orbit that even gets

(01:20:15):
called into the squad. We know who they are and
what they had for breakfast with refix the sponsors. But
this is the thing, Zach, Folks, We've got to get
used to some of these names, because I know T
twenty isn't that important, but we should be knowing, you know,
newcomers to our major national teams.

Speaker 2 (01:20:34):
Absolutely, And just to finish, speaking of cricket, the test
which is the Suzy Cricket documentary has been released or
the promo has anyway, they don't mind throwing the odd
little tenty do they?

Speaker 11 (01:20:45):
The Australians honestly watch this promos. It's hilarious. It's all
the bad is Steve Smith, David Warner. I think it's
Travis Head all losing the plot. Warner versus the water
Bottle is particularly funny, but they are losing the plot. Meanwhile,
the bowlers are just sort of chilling out going on.
There they go again, and it reminds me that I've

(01:21:07):
been at Genno for a while, Pony and I've interviewed
so many Australian cricketers over the years, a lot of bowlers.
Never had a problem with them, always enjoyed them. Craig
mccermit moved tough, Shane Warren, gret Lee, great guy, Jason
Gillispie even better, Mitchell Johnson you know, always had time
to you. But batters all nuts, all of them, and

(01:21:29):
I mean so am I so I can spot one.
But I'm telling you this, Australian batners as a breed
out out there, they're out the gates.

Speaker 2 (01:21:40):
Well it's proven yet again in this promo which I've
also seen James and I can totally concur with what
you say. Good on your mate, Always good to chat,
Thanks for thanks for taking our callers. Always on a
Sunday afternoon. James mccaroney, follow him on socials, He's on
Craigo's While Alternative Commentary Collective and lots of other places
as well. And part of our Sundays here at newstalksb

(01:22:00):
around about this time seven away from two New Stalks.

Speaker 1 (01:22:03):
Even good on the track, field and the court on
your home of sport Weekend Sport with Jason Vine News
talks B.

Speaker 2 (01:22:14):
Four to two grunts, but after two o'clock, after the
occasion of his three hundred and fiftieth All Blacks test
as a commentator. Incredible stuff. Lots of suggestions for Kiwi
sports people who should never buy a beer. Christian Cullen,
John Walker, David Fagan has got to vote. I think
Scott Dixon should have a free drink, but not while
he's driving, says Anne, and you and Chatfield the nine

(01:22:35):
I Express should never ever buy a beer either. Yes,
all very good suggestions, All very good suggestions. If you
have one, ninety two. Ninety two is the number to
text them through to NISBO, as I say after two.
Also inside the Kiwi Ferns camp ahead of their Pacific
Championship final this afternoon.

Speaker 1 (01:22:52):
The only place for the big names, the big issues,
the big controversies and of the big conversations. It's all
on Weekend Sport with Jason Vine on your home of
Sport News Talks.

Speaker 17 (01:23:07):
He'd been.

Speaker 2 (01:23:09):
Hello there and welcome in. It's coming up seven past
time Jason Pine and McDonald's show producer. This is Weekend
Sport until three after three. Tim Beveridge is in the
chair for the Sunday edition of the Weekend Collective with
all the goodness that that brings. Before we could get
to that, though, quite a bit for us to get
through very shortly, grunting his but's on the show off
the back of his three hundred and fiftieth All Blacks

(01:23:31):
test as a television commentator. Three hundred and fifty The
All Blacks have only played six hundred and forty nine
in their history, so well over half have had the
voice of Grantner's but attached. He's with us shortly. Rugby League.
Couple of big games for our national sides later on
today ten to four this afternoon, the Kiwi Ferns take

(01:23:52):
on the Australian Jill Rouse at Combank Stadium in Sydney.
This is the final of the Women's Pacific Championship, and
a little bit later on our Kiwis take on Papa
New Guinea at the same venue. This game scheduled to
kick off at twenty past eight tonight New Zealand time.
This is the promotion relegation match, though, so New Zealand

(01:24:14):
need to win it to stay in the top tier
with Australia and Tonga. That game is at twenty past eight.
We're going to get you inside the Kiwi Ferns camp
this hour. Abigail Roach or Abbey I think that she
prefers to be known, is going to have a chat
to us. And the Wellington Phoenix men and women both
have games today. The women are at home for the
first time this season, putty to a park. They take

(01:24:34):
on Campbell light It from four o'clock this afternoon, and
the men are in Gosford where they'll take on the
Central Coast Mariners at around six tonight. So we'll get
you inside both camps just to set the scene for
both of those matches. Your calls and correspondents continue to
be welcomed, including any additions you have to our list
of Kiwi sports people who should be unencumbered by getting

(01:24:56):
their wallet out when they are at a bar or
a cafe. It doesn't have to be an alcoholic drink,
but it's says. It's a bit of a turn of
phrasesn't I'll buy you a drink? Been putting together a list.
We did it quite a while ago, but on the
back of Channington Neil Wagner today we thought we said
had some more names to it. Kiwi sports people who
should never have to buy a drink again. You can
text those through to nine two nine two, but with

(01:25:18):
the time at eight and a half past two, as
we always do it around about this time on weekend sport.
It's a feature that some people only tune in for.
They only dip into this feature and then they go
and do other things. That's fine, we know you're busy.
It's called in case you missed it. It's a wrap
of stuff that's happened over the last twenty four hours
or so that may have escaped your attention, Starting with

(01:25:40):
some rugby and a storming performance for lost Pelmoss against Italy.
Continues on his.

Speaker 18 (01:25:46):
Way, nice offload Albernos Velina, he started it all. Fuck
inside it goes to tell you it's a magnificent seven
for Argentina second half jer dominance ar.

Speaker 2 (01:26:03):
The dominance, indeed Argentina beating Italy fifty points to eighteen
and their rugby international all the Black camps have started
their T twenty series against Sri Lanka with a loss.

Speaker 1 (01:26:15):
Isn't it isn't an end of the cry Well logain.

Speaker 2 (01:26:22):
Back actually like a horn to.

Speaker 10 (01:26:24):
Get down with four wickets in and and and all
we're just bound.

Speaker 2 (01:26:30):
Yeah, win by four wickets for Sri Lanka. Don't to
wait very long for the second One Day International, or
rather T twenty International that is two thirty tomorrow morning
for game number two in the Premier League. Manchester City
have lost two games in a row. Schwel padro able
to Freddy Crew. It's a right.

Speaker 12 (01:26:54):
Turn around them.

Speaker 2 (01:26:55):
Complete and Manchester City's crisis deepens. I don't think it's
a crisis, but two losses in a row for City
it's pretty rare. Bryson winning that one too one. The
breaks have called off from their recent hot streak in
rather dramatic fashion. These and best performance from the Import

(01:27:17):
another takeaway and Dame Sauce to.

Speaker 12 (01:27:20):
The Cup.

Speaker 16 (01:27:22):
And Tanzy looks like they're going to songs on unlikely victory.

Speaker 2 (01:27:28):
Yeah, Tasmania winning that one eighty three sixty four in
Tasmania last night and back to rap Wallaby's beating England
and what may well be the best rugby match of
the year.

Speaker 5 (01:27:40):
It it's out for.

Speaker 11 (01:27:41):
Jorgenson, Max Jorgson, Max Jorginson.

Speaker 12 (01:27:44):
No they didn't.

Speaker 3 (01:27:46):
Oh my goodness me.

Speaker 5 (01:27:47):
Oh, it's unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (01:27:51):
It's one of the greatest moments in Wallaby's history and
it belongs to Jorgenson.

Speaker 5 (01:27:59):
They have stunned England.

Speaker 1 (01:28:02):
When it's down to the line. You made a call
on Weekend Sport with Jason pine Us talks.

Speaker 2 (01:28:10):
By remarkable Test match of twoking them last night forty
two thirty seven. If you haven't seen the highlights, give
him a look. Yeah. No defending really of any great
note in that game, but quite the spectacle with Australia
scoring well after the hooter to win it forty two
points to thirty seven. It's coming up twelve past two.
It was a milestone match yesterday for one of our

(01:28:32):
best loved rugby commentators right at.

Speaker 10 (01:28:35):
Center fields, Keller.

Speaker 5 (01:28:40):
Randolph Ponza, Hen me go.

Speaker 19 (01:28:43):
Can you make it?

Speaker 3 (01:28:43):
You you picture Jonason?

Speaker 2 (01:28:50):
Yeah, the unmistakable voice of Grant nisbet as the All
Blacks beat Ireland in Dublin yesterday morning. Grants but was
behind the mic for his three hundred and fiftieth Test match.
When you consider yesterday was the six hundred and forty
ninth All Blacks Test all up and he's called three
hundred and fifty of them, so well over half the

(01:29:11):
feat is even more remarkable. Run As with us now
on weekend sport. Congratulations on number three fifteen is bo.
Can you remember much about Tease number one?

Speaker 7 (01:29:21):
Good a Jason look, not a lot. It's very hazy.
Funnily enough, I probably remember Test two, three and four
with greater clarity because that was a trip to Australia.
The first Test was in Cross Earth against France. Other
than the score, I can't remember anything else, but I
do remember going on the tour to Australia. It was
Australia under Alan Jones for the first time, and we

(01:29:45):
actually lost the series, so it wasn't one of the
great starts for my career.

Speaker 2 (01:29:51):
An auspicious start. Do you remember feeling nervous in your
early days as a commentator?

Speaker 7 (01:29:57):
Yeah, look, I think I probably was because I was.
I'd been in radio up to that point for around
about thirteen or fourteen years, and so the transition to television,
as you know, is, you know, it's considerable. I think
it's more about what you don't say as opposed to
what you do say, and so I'm sort of thinking

(01:30:21):
back and I'd imagine I would have been quite nervous
about it.

Speaker 2 (01:30:25):
Was there anybody early on in your television career. Who
was particularly helpful to you and making the transition and
developing your craft as a television commentator.

Speaker 7 (01:30:35):
Yeah, look, undoubtedly Keith Quinn, because I sort of took
over from him. He was pushed into administration in a
way rather reluctantly, I might say, And so that's why
I actually started at TV and Z. But he was
always helpful and always has been to this very day,
to be perfectly honest, because he was one of the

(01:30:56):
pioneers of doing rugby television in the very early days,
and he was outstanding really and helped me along the
way for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:31:08):
So here we are now, three hundred and fifty test matches.
Why do you think you've had such incredible longevity.

Speaker 7 (01:31:16):
Oh, look, I don't know, to be honest, I don't
seem to attract a lot of criticism, Jason. I know
people have got opinions on comments, people and all the
rest of it. But somehow I've managed, somehow to fly
under the radar with it. I don't know, And I
guess it's a bit of a triumph for longevity, isn't it. Really.

(01:31:37):
If you stick around long enough and people like you enough,
then I guess these milestones are just going to turn
up along the way. And you know, having been doing
the job now for forty years, that sounds even silly
to say forty years. You know these milestones arrive at
some point.

Speaker 2 (01:31:55):
Well I guess so. I guess so you're probably downplaying
it just to touch. But has the way that you
prepare for test matches changed much over.

Speaker 7 (01:32:04):
The years, No, not really. No, I still over prepare.
I have far too much stuff with me, and when
I look back at it, I think I never used that.
I never used that. I never used that. But there
are some important things that, you know, little milestones that
might pop up on the game, but they don't, so
don't get to use them. I write down every name
of the player, and I'm sure you do this with

(01:32:25):
your football commentary, write down all the names and little
notes against each player, and much of which you never used.
I once had a chat with a great Bill McLaren
he was out here and got the opportunity to meet him,
which was a real pleasure, and asked him about preparation actually,
and he said, look, I just over prepare. He said,
if I used five or maybe ten percent of what

(01:32:47):
I write down, I'd be very surprised. He said, but
it's just it's just kind of an insurance policy. It's
there if you need it. And also I find when
I'm writing things down that I retain it. If I
write it down on paper, I do retain it just
for the duration of the match. Really, So yeah, look,
I do as I say, I probably over prepare.

Speaker 2 (01:33:09):
Yeah, I think that's fairly common among other commentators I've
spoken to as well. Do you have any Test matches
that particularly stand out in this bow.

Speaker 7 (01:33:19):
Yeah, Look, there's been a few. Initially, one that really
stood out was the Baby Blacks win over France, and
there was quite a backstory to that. Of course, the
All Blacks we denied the trip to South Africa, and
then some of them went on a cavaliers tour and
when the French team came here, the Baby Blacks they
were called, were chosen from players who had decided not

(01:33:41):
to go to South Africa. So they were very inexperienced
and they had this triumphavor France in christ Church. A
couple of others that spring to mind the seventy six
Tour of South Africa, sorry, the ninety six Tour of
South Africa, when the All Blacks had an opportunity to
win the series for the first time ever. They'd been
going to South Africa for a long long time and

(01:34:03):
had always been denied the opportunity to win the series.
But in ninety six and happened in Pretoria. That was
a memorable game for many many reasons. Two thousand and
Sydney when Jonas scored at the end, and of course
the World Cups are hard to deny those two to
eleven here in Auckland and two fifteen in Twickenham in London,

(01:34:25):
which I think is probably the best game I've seen
because of the implications world Cup final and also an
open game. Often World Cup finals are not that open.
They quite boring at times, and that particular one in
two fifteen was quite outstanding.

Speaker 2 (01:34:41):
You've had the chance to travel around the world to
watch the All Blacks play and other teams as well.
Do you have any favorite test venues.

Speaker 7 (01:34:49):
Overseas? Yeah, Look, I think the one I most enjoy
going to is the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, which of
course was done up for the World Cup in I
think ninety one. Prior to that, it was the cat
Off Arms Park. This whole ground right in the middle
of the city. You couldn't get any more in the

(01:35:10):
middle of the city in Cardiff, and of course it's
got the retractable roof as well, so it's got everything
going for it as the Millennium Stadium and dear old Twickenham,
which they've upgraded a fair bit over the years, that's
outstanding as well. It's a hard place to take a
loss at and I've been there three times when it's happened,
but nevertheless it remains a great ground and funnily enough,

(01:35:33):
and this will appealed to you, Jason. I'm sure San
Sero in Milan is unbelievable. The All Blacks played there
and of course it's the home ground for Inter and
also the other Milan team, AC and we had the
opportunity on the Friday to go down and have a
look at the dressing rooms for the respective teams and

(01:35:54):
oh boy, oh boy, you've never seen anything like it.

Speaker 2 (01:35:59):
Yeah, amazing stuff. You've always said. I've heard you say
this often that Christian Cullen is your favorite All Black.
Does that still stand?

Speaker 7 (01:36:07):
Yeah, look it does, it does, and probably always well.
To be honest, I know that I've been around when
there's been some absolute legends of the game, and you
can't go past the likes of Michael Jones, Richie McCaw,
Dan Carter and so it goes on. But for me,
Christian Callen had it all. He just hand that ability

(01:36:28):
to pop up when he got the ball in hand.
He was almost unstoppable. A link player, didn't have the
sides there, he somehow glided round people. And he was
also a great defender and he played it excellent here,
didn't he When you think of the blokes who he
was surrounded by, the Umangers and the Lamos and these
sort of blokes. But to me, an absolute standout.

Speaker 2 (01:36:51):
Indeed, are you used to be able to watch a
game of rugby that you're not commentating just for the
pleasure of watching a game of rugby?

Speaker 7 (01:36:58):
Yes, I think, yes I am. I'm a bit of
a fanboy to be honest. I mean I haven't seen
it yet, but when I finally do get the opportunity,
I'll certainly tune in and have a look at that
what must have been a hell of a game at
twicken Them overnight between Australia and England. You know, I
don't want to just see the highlights. I want to

(01:37:19):
see the whole damn game, and I've recorded it and
I'll have a look. So yes, I mean some games
are better than others. You might get some provincial games
and you think, but you know, you take the good
with the bad, and it's the same in any sport.

Speaker 2 (01:37:33):
Really, indeed, And do you believe you can you can
still be an all Blacks fan while working in the
rugby broadcast industry.

Speaker 7 (01:37:43):
Yeah, it's a hell of a good question. I am
an all black fan, there's no doubt about it. But
you have to disassociate yourself at WEBERD because your job
is effectively to make sure that the mail gets through,
that it's a good broadcast. That's my major concern. People
often say to me these days, do you get nervous?
And I say no, I don't get nervous. I get

(01:38:03):
a bit anxious about the broadcast being a you know,
and it's a team game, and I liken it to
a team game because you know, it's not just it's
not just the front people or the commentators that make
it that way. You've got to have producers, directors, cameramen,
sound people, EVS, which is the replays and things. All

(01:38:24):
of these things have to come together. So I hope
I don't sound like a fanboy, but I generally sit
in the commentary box when the All Blacks are playing,
hoping like hell they win. But if they don't win,
then I kind of have to reflect the disappointment as well.

Speaker 2 (01:38:41):
Absolutely right, So what do you reckon? The final number
might be three point fifty and counting. What are you
reckon the final number is going to be?

Speaker 7 (01:38:49):
Oh, my goodness, I don't know. I don't know. Put
it this way, I've got I've got a contract through
to the end of next year, so that well, presumably
I'll add a few and then we'll take stock. We've
got an age factor here, Jason, I'm not as young
as I.

Speaker 8 (01:39:05):
Used to be.

Speaker 2 (01:39:06):
Well, you'd never tell. You'd never tell from listening to
this though. Look, I just want to say you've always
been extremely supportive of others in the industry as well,
given guidance and advice to so many people, me included.
So from a personal point of view, I want to
thank you for that and congratulate you on a magnificent
milestone in a career which isn't done yet. Well done
on the three fifty. May there be manymore.

Speaker 7 (01:39:28):
Thanks very much, Jason, and it's been a pleasure to
do it. And that's the thing that you've got to remember.
It's a real honor to be able to talk about
New Zealand's most iconic sporting brand and get paid to
do it. It's just fantastic.

Speaker 2 (01:39:43):
Yeah, it's certainly the best job in the world. Well,
I haven't found anything better, and I know you haven't either.
There's both good on you, mate, Thanks. Indeed, Gruntner's but
three hundred and fifty not out yesterday, his three hundred
and fiftieth television commentary of the All Blacks, remembering, of
course they had done radio for a long time before that,
so add that to his television commentaries, and man, I

(01:40:05):
don't think there's anybody who would have been behind a
microphone more often for an All Blacks test than Granted has.
But in fact I know that there isn't. Even the
great Keith Quinn, who did both radio and television. I
don't think was able to clock up the numbers that
Nisbo had, not that it's a competition. Both absolutely terrific
blokes and in fact text through here Jason add Grantners

(01:40:27):
but and Keith Quinn to your list of Kiwi sportspeople
who should never ever put their hand in their pocket
for a drink again. It can totally add those two
to the list. Hugh says. Pininibo's a professional. That's why
he has lasted so long. Que totally encapsulated yep a pro,
a total pro. After three hundred and fifty games or

(01:40:50):
three hundred and fifty times doing anything, I think you
could forgive somebody for you know, maybe dialing it in,
for just taking it easy, for not doing the prep
that is required. But I've seen Grantner's but it's prep
the notes that he brought along to test matches. Been
lucky enough to be alongside him in a radio capacity.

(01:41:12):
Look and you look through the glass at where the
TV guys are, and just the preparation that he has
clearly done. And as he said, then you might use
five or ten percent of it, but it's like the
safety blanket. And plus it helps reinforce in your mind
the job that you're there to do, the information about
the teams and all that sort of thing. So, yeah,
three hundred and fifty for Grantners, but a magnificent achievement.

(01:41:36):
Get the chance to chat to him. Two twenty five.
It is on News Talks. He'd b we'll take a break.
When we come back, we'll get you across the Tasman
to where the Kiwi Ferns are. They've got the Pacific
Nation Championship Women's Rugby League Final against Australia in Sydney
this afternoon ten to four kickoff. Abby Roach is one
of their key players. She'll join us for a chat

(01:41:56):
after this.

Speaker 1 (01:41:58):
You be the TMO. Have your say on eight hundred
eighty ten eighty weekends for It with Jason him and GJ. Gunnomes,
New Zealand's most trusted home builder News talksb.

Speaker 2 (01:42:10):
It is two twenty eight on weekend Sport Hero on
News Talks AB. The Kiwi Ferns play the Pacific Championship
Women's Rugby League Final against Australia this afternoon ten to
four New Zealand Time at Combank Stadium in Sydney, looking
to defend the they won last year when they beat
the same opposition, the Jillarus twelve to six in the

(01:42:30):
final in Melbourne. This year, they had the fourteen nil
loss to Australia in christ Church, then went to Port
Moresby in Papua New Guinea and beat the home side
thirty six nil to qualify for the final. This afternoon,
let's bring in Kiwi Ferns Center, Abby, Roach, Abby, thanks
for taking the time for a chat. How's the build
up been to this test since you arrived in Sydney

(01:42:52):
after the win over Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby.

Speaker 20 (01:42:56):
Hey, it's been awesome.

Speaker 21 (01:42:58):
I think our experience in PNG really brought us together
culturally and just it was an awesome experience what we
got to see over there and what we got to
do for the community of there, which was awesome. So
I think we really connected and we were firing to go.

Speaker 2 (01:43:12):
And what about on the field a thirty six nil win,
it seems comprehensive. Do you take quite a bit of
confidence from the way you played in that game as well?

Speaker 21 (01:43:22):
I think it was definitely a tough battle out there,
and there are a few things that we wanted to
improve on coming from that game. But I think the
last two trainings that we've had we've tried to really
pretty much. I saw the things that we've had to
try and improve on, and I think it's been really good.

Speaker 2 (01:43:39):
What sort of improvement areas have you been encouraged to
kind of work on by the coaching staff.

Speaker 21 (01:43:46):
I think it's just really owning our own individual roles
to kind of come together in the end. I think
that's been a massive focus, is just trying to nail
all the key individual roles to get us going all
together and just really connecting as a team.

Speaker 2 (01:44:02):
Of course, you played Australia a couple of weeks ago,
they beat you fourteen nail what can you take from
that game that'll be useful in this one.

Speaker 20 (01:44:13):
I think it's just.

Speaker 21 (01:44:15):
Staying in the grind and staying in the grind of
the cycle and just obviously there's going to be pressure,
but just connecting as a team and just working together
and finding that extra grit to get us over the line.

Speaker 2 (01:44:27):
Do you take confidence from the fact that a year
ago you beat Australia in the in the final of
the Pacific Championship last year?

Speaker 21 (01:44:37):
I think it definitely gives us confidence that we can
do it. But I think like every year is a
different year. There's new teams, there's new players, so I
think we've kind of we've kept that in the back
of our in the back of our minds, but we're
just starting fresh and we're just trying to grow with
what we have now and what we've learned this year.

Speaker 2 (01:44:54):
All right, for you personally, Abby, I know you've played
in the centers and in the halves. Do you have
a preference?

Speaker 20 (01:45:02):
I think definitely the centers. I think.

Speaker 21 (01:45:06):
That's where I've kind of molded myself at the moment,
and that's where I feel most comfortable.

Speaker 2 (01:45:10):
And of course you've played both rugby league and rugby
as well. I know at the moment, obviously you're focusing
on the thirteenth game. Does that feel like where your
future lies in the thirteenth game? Or can you see
yourself at some stage playing rugby union again?

Speaker 21 (01:45:28):
I think at the moment, all I'm focusing on is
rugby league. But I think I can't really tell what
will happen in the future, so I guess I don't
really know.

Speaker 20 (01:45:37):
I guess I'm open to it, but my focus is here.

Speaker 2 (01:45:40):
Is there anything I don't know if it's a sleek
question or not. Are there things that are transferable across
the two?

Speaker 20 (01:45:48):
I think definitely.

Speaker 21 (01:45:49):
I think the foundational skills of rugby, just the catch
pass and all that stuff, is definitely referrable and transitional.
But I think the contact in league is definitely the
difference and the harder part of it.

Speaker 2 (01:46:02):
But yeah, do you enjoy that? I'm not being contector,
but you know, do you enjoy the physical contact side
of rugby league?

Speaker 7 (01:46:11):
I think I do.

Speaker 21 (01:46:12):
I think I love just getting the ball in sort
of running, and I think in the fifteens game it's
it's a bit harder off. I found myself to kind
of get involved in the game, whereas Lee you can
just you can have a run every set. You can
kind of get over your mistakes a bit earlier because
you can just get a good tackle, you can get
a good run in.

Speaker 2 (01:46:30):
You come from a pretty high performing sporting family. Of course,
both your brothers, Nathaniel and Paul have played for the Warriors.
How big an influence have they been on you?

Speaker 20 (01:46:41):
They've been massive.

Speaker 21 (01:46:42):
I think the eldest brother, Nathaniel, he really pretty much
paved the way for us. He he provided so much
for us and he kind of showed us that there
was a pathway there. And he's been he's been a
massive role model. I think to me and Paul, I
think he's showed us that it is they can be done.
And I think I've drawn so much from them, just

(01:47:02):
their perseverance and resilience to keep going and kind of
their set that they've had in life as has never
stopped them.

Speaker 20 (01:47:08):
They're still playing, and yeah, I look up.

Speaker 2 (01:47:11):
To them so much, and talking about resilience and setbacks.
You had some pretty serious knee injuries yourself, didn't you
while you were still a teenager. How challenging a time
was that for you? And how did you get through that?

Speaker 21 (01:47:25):
It was pretty challenging. I kind of did both my
acls and then had to have further miniscus repairs. But
I think it taught me a lot. It kind of
took away I think I from a young age, I
was always striving to kind of play footy and I
was always trying to be the best.

Speaker 20 (01:47:43):
But I think it kind of.

Speaker 21 (01:47:45):
Took the football player away, and I realized that life's
more than just footy, and I had to really lean
on my faith as well to kind of get me through.
And it's kind of how the opportunity came up for
me to play for the QII friends back in the
World Cup.

Speaker 20 (01:48:00):
And I guess my INTERLW.

Speaker 21 (01:48:03):
Opportunity as well came from just having fun and I
wasn't really trying to get anywhere. It was just simply
just having fun with my friends. And I think that's
when I played my best footing.

Speaker 2 (01:48:12):
Yeah, what a great approach. Did it ever feel of
any stage that I as though you might not be
able to get back to the top again?

Speaker 20 (01:48:20):
I know, definitely.

Speaker 21 (01:48:21):
Like I honestly, when I did my last knee, I
think it was like my fourth operation.

Speaker 20 (01:48:26):
I think I was twenty one at the age, or
twenty two, maybe twenty two.

Speaker 21 (01:48:30):
I was kind of done with playing competitively, if I'm
being honest, I was kind of like, that's me done.

Speaker 20 (01:48:35):
I've been focused on a proper career at that stage.

Speaker 21 (01:48:38):
But it wasn't until one of my mates, Kelly Alexander,
she was kind of like, hey, do you want to
come play?

Speaker 20 (01:48:46):
Like I think it was b grade at that stage,
like do you just want to come play league?

Speaker 21 (01:48:50):
And at that stage, I hadn't played it before, and
I was kind of like, you know what, I'm kind
of getting bored of this life. I'm just like sitting
on the sideline and like just gymming for fun. So
I just honestly just got back in for fun, and
that's how it all started. So I think I probably
owe my friends a lot getting me back into the game.

Speaker 2 (01:49:07):
Amazing you certainly do, we all do, I think for
having you where you are at the moment. So the
NRLW you've obviously been there with the Knights. How much
do you think playing in that competition has improved you
as a rugby league player?

Speaker 20 (01:49:21):
Oh, it's been massive.

Speaker 21 (01:49:22):
I think last year moving over to the Knights was
a pivotal part of my career. I think I wouldn't
be where I am today if it weren't for that opportunity.

Speaker 8 (01:49:31):
Just I think the.

Speaker 21 (01:49:33):
Competitiveness and just the resources that they have and the
coaches that they have. It's just different to Club Foot
you back home. I think that was the massive change.
You just learned so much. You're surrounded by so much
talent and like people asked with Tamika Upton and she
taught me heaps and just was willing to share her knowledge.

Speaker 20 (01:49:51):
And I think that's where I grew the most.

Speaker 2 (01:49:53):
And your tackle of the Year at the EMS as well, Yeah,
that was that was.

Speaker 20 (01:49:59):
Kind of a surprise. I think I was just in
the right moment at the right time.

Speaker 2 (01:50:04):
Oh man, so humble, so humble. Hey, And of course
we know the Warriors are coming back into the NRLW
as well. Any chance we might see you in a
Warrior's jersey at some stage in the future.

Speaker 20 (01:50:16):
I think yes, like definitely down the track.

Speaker 21 (01:50:19):
I'd love to come back home and sort of be
back with my family and back where I was born
and raised. And it'd be awesome because my brothers both
played there, So I think I would love to eventually
find my way back home.

Speaker 2 (01:50:33):
Well, I think a lot of people over the side
of the Tasman would love that as well. In the meantime, though,
you've got this game against Australia to focus on. Ib
We really appreciate you taking the time for a chat
to us all the best in the final.

Speaker 20 (01:50:44):
No, thank you so much, really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:50:47):
No, I appreciate you joining us, Abby Things indeed, Abbie
Roach there Kiwi Fern's Center. Australia are their opposition the
jill Use ten to four this afternoon as they look
to defend the Pacific champ title that they won a
year ago. Just quick update on the Fast five. You
might have heard Nathan mention in our Sports news that

(01:51:07):
New Zealand have won their one game today so far,
beating England thirty two points to thirty. They will play
South Africa in their final pull match at three forty
five or final round robin match. There are six teams obviously,
and South Africa is the one opponent New Zealand haven't
played yet and the way on maths, I think if
they win that they will play in the final, so

(01:51:29):
that after the final round robin matches there's a fifth
sixth playoff, the third fourth playoff and then the final.
And looks to me as though New Zealand just have
just lost the one game that was to Australia last
night by forty one twenty six, so as long as
they can beat South Africa this afternoon they'll begin the final.
We'll keep a very close eye on that for you
as the afternoon and evening progress. Twenty two away from three,

(01:51:54):
let's get a breakaway when we come back. It is
to football we go. Wellington Phoenix men and women both
have games this afternoon. Auckland FC don't have a game
this weekend they have the bye, so no game for
the beaten Auckland FC, but both Phoenix teams have a game.
We'll get inside both camps right after this on Weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (01:52:13):
It's more than just a game. Weekend Sport with Jason
Hyne and GJ. Garnomes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder
News Dogs.

Speaker 9 (01:52:22):
M B.

Speaker 2 (01:52:24):
Nineteen away from three previous a couple of football matches
for you. Both Wellington Phoenix men in action this afternoon
or into the early evening. Let's start with the Wellington
Phoenix women who have their first home game of the
season this afternoon four o'clock at Portador Park, Jerry Collins
at Stadium, whatever you like to call it. That's a
four o'clock kickoff, and that one up against Canberra United

(01:52:45):
last weekend. Canberra had a three to two win to
start their season. The Wellington Phoenix went down four to
two to Western United away from home, due largely to
an inexplicable bit of defending for about twenty minutes when
they went from wonder ahead to four one down in
the second half of the first half. Anyway, four to
two was the end result. One of the brighter spots

(01:53:06):
of the day was a daboo for one of the
club's new players, Lara waar I. Caught up with Lara
Wall briefly during the week and asked her, first of all,
how happy she was with her Phoenix deboo.

Speaker 22 (01:53:17):
I was pretty happy with how I did. I yeah,
just told myself, got to go in hard, go out
there and just really give it my all. I really
enjoy attacking, and the message we got given was just
go forward, give it back to them, get high. And
I was really happy to come on as a fallback
and do that. That's what I like to do, that's

(01:53:38):
how I play. So I thought it was it was
good to come on in that circumstance and to really
be able to go forward and give it to them.

Speaker 2 (01:53:46):
How did you find the place of the game, the
level a step up from what you were used to?
How did you find the adjustment.

Speaker 22 (01:53:53):
It's if we've been a step up adjusting to the
speed of the game, the intensity of the game. But
we've had a lot of preseason games. I've got some
good minutes in the preseason games. So I was just
telling myself, you've played at this level in the preseason games. Intensity,
you can get out there and you can do it.
But yeah, definitely step up. But also yeah, those preseason games.

Speaker 20 (01:54:12):
Were really good.

Speaker 22 (01:54:12):
Really got me used to that intensity, that speed of
the game, and everything.

Speaker 8 (01:54:17):
And in the environment.

Speaker 2 (01:54:18):
Obviously you've got the likes of Rebecca Lake and Anale Longer,
who I guess you know pretty well. How helpful has
that been to adjust to life in the Phoenix environment.

Speaker 22 (01:54:26):
It's been awesome having them there, Like I've played with
them before. Obviously they've played at higher levels than me before,
but they've kind of guided me through that and been
able to really help me slide into the team and just, yeah,
it's nice to have someone, I know, someone there who's
been through it before, someone who has had so much
experience at this level and above before to really, yeah,

(01:54:48):
guide me and show me, show me how it's done.

Speaker 2 (01:54:51):
Has this been a goal of yours for a while,
to be a professional.

Speaker 20 (01:54:53):
Player, It's been on my mind.

Speaker 22 (01:54:57):
I didn't think it would happen, to be honest, I
when I got the call up to the trial, I
was kind of surprised. I thought I had probably missed
the boat a little bit. I'm a little we're older,
been out of school for a bit bit of a
like bit long now, so I kind of thought I
had missed the boat with it. But when I got
the call up, I was like, straight away, like I
want to do this. Yeah, this is something yeah, I

(01:55:18):
want to do, and.

Speaker 2 (01:55:19):
You're obviously mixing it with work as well. So have
you found the balance between obviously getting the training and
that you need, but also just being a worker like
the rest of it.

Speaker 22 (01:55:29):
It's definitely a juggle, but I do really enjoy coming
here in the morning, having something physical to do and
really applying myself in the morning out here, and then
in the afternoons going into work, sitting down, relaxing the
body a bit more, but also using my brain. So
it's really cool to have that balance. I really enjoyed
doing both. And yeah, my work's been really good letting

(01:55:52):
me train in the morning's work whenever I have, Yeah,
whenever I can, which has been really good.

Speaker 2 (01:56:00):
That is Lara Wall, one of the new faces in
the Wellington Phoenix women's squad. Another is the new assistant coach,
Amy Sheppard, who has joined the club after stints in
the UK and in Australia. I caught up with her
during the week as well and asked her first of
all how she was enjoying her new role.

Speaker 19 (01:56:16):
Yeah, I'm really really enjoying it.

Speaker 17 (01:56:17):
I mean, Wellington's a little bit colder than Sydney, but overall,
like the experience has been great, and yeah, good group
of players, good group of staff, So yeah, it's been
really good.

Speaker 2 (01:56:26):
So first up, lost last weekend would have been the
main work ons during the week.

Speaker 19 (01:56:30):
Yeah, Look, I think is a.

Speaker 17 (01:56:31):
Difficult one because overall, I think the football we played
was really good. There was a lot of positives from there,
and unfortunately football is about moments, right, and there was
just some moments there that we obviously have addressed this
week and have looked to work on.

Speaker 19 (01:56:43):
So there was positives to take away from it. But yeah,
some some fix ons too.

Speaker 2 (01:56:46):
So have you been able to unpeck what went on
from one li'l up to four one down?

Speaker 7 (01:56:52):
Yeah?

Speaker 17 (01:56:52):
Look, I think it was again that the timings of
the goals was a bit crucial for us, and then
the manner of them, But like I said, their work
ons and outside of those moments take them away. I
think we were really happy with, especially elements of the
game that we've been working on in pre seasons.

Speaker 19 (01:57:05):
So a lot of positive to take away.

Speaker 2 (01:57:07):
So I think you've probably dominated a position or we
certainly had more position. I think maybe one or two
more shots on goals. So were you happy with the
way things were kind of operating in the middle and
front the middle third.

Speaker 19 (01:57:16):
Definitely think between the boxes we were really happy.

Speaker 17 (01:57:18):
I think ultimately it was just think what happens in
the boxes, and that's both defensively and then also attacking.

Speaker 19 (01:57:23):
I think we had a lot of probably box.

Speaker 17 (01:57:25):
Entries, but you know, again we need to be finishing
those chances, so I think improvements in both boxes.

Speaker 19 (01:57:30):
But yeah, between the boxes we were really happy.

Speaker 2 (01:57:32):
So Camber have Michelle Hayman obviously as part of their lineup.
You know, I think if she gets one more goal,
there's one hundred for Canberra. She's already got one hundred
in the in the league. Do you league just like
particularly to look after her.

Speaker 9 (01:57:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 17 (01:57:44):
Look, she's always going to be a threat, right, so
we're aware of qualities and we'll manage that accordingly. And
I think I was reading this sat the other day
about she's scored a lot of goals in New Zealand
every time they've come here. So yeah, she loves the
New Zealand goal apparently.

Speaker 2 (01:57:55):
Yeah, and you new new defendit AmAm. Is she likely
to get some minutes? What's the situation there?

Speaker 17 (01:58:01):
Yeah, Look, she's just arrived so obviously we've got a
lot of players that have obviously done on their screening
and testing and we've still to get through that pro
with her. So we're just sort of working it out
as we go and we'll see how this week goes
with her testing and medical screening and then go from there.

Speaker 2 (01:58:12):
And how was the mishing of the new players gone,
because there are you know, a number of new faces
in this team, particularly the imports. How's that gone.

Speaker 19 (01:58:18):
Yeah, it's been really good.

Speaker 17 (01:58:19):
I think we've had a good pre season with a
mix of sort of like on field and offield activities
where we've really sort of tried to work on the
keysiveness of the group. So overall, I think everyone's bonded
really well and it's been a really really good start,
especially off the field.

Speaker 2 (01:58:31):
That is the voice of Amy Shephard, the new assistant
coach of the Wellington Phoenix women side four o'clock this afternoon.
They played Canberra. Immediately following that game, it's the Wellington
Phoenix men in Gosford up against the Central Coast Mariners,
looking to bounce back from their defeat in the derby
last weekend. One of the brighter features for the Phoenix anyway,
and that derby was the reappearance of Marco Rojas, five

(01:58:53):
thousand days since he last woke shirt. I spoke to
Marco during the week, gave him that stat and asked
him how he came through the.

Speaker 23 (01:59:01):
Game selling a lot I would have asked for hearing
that I came through fine, and I came through really
grateful to be back out in the park, really grateful
to have come back nicely from the injury. And I'm
really cool to do it in front of what twenty
six above twenty six thousand people. That's really cool.

Speaker 2 (01:59:18):
So what's the situation now in terms of your minute loading?
I mean, when would do you think you'll be in
a position to start a game for example.

Speaker 23 (01:59:25):
Yeah, I'm not sure. I mean I think as a
footballer for myself, there's always like the two sides. There
was one that was really grateful just to be playing,
and the other one was like, I wish it was
more minutes, you know, especially in the game like that.
So hopefully soon, I've got a lot of work they
still need to do to get fit to get minutes,
and I think in the preseason the most they had
was a half of football, So from ninety minutes. I

(01:59:46):
think I have to be honest, I'm probably a little
way off, but hopefully from more minutes it won't be
too far away, and then I'll just go from there.

Speaker 2 (01:59:53):
Chief he's talked about how he wants to, you know,
really use you on a specific way within this team.
Can you just give us an idea of what you
see your ongoing role in the team being the same.

Speaker 23 (02:00:03):
As what Chief he said, I think I just want
to help where I can, whether it's experienced, probably in
the attacking since in the years of kind of attacking
football that I've practiced and played. Hopefully I can help
the team maybe create a few more chances and go
further up the park. But honestly, I'll just wait and see.

(02:00:26):
Like I said, for I think I've learned over the
years that it's a process. And if I say now,
without really playing much, I'm going to help like this
and like this, and then you start playing and it
takes a bit longer. It's better to take a step
by step. In the next step is playing more minutes,
and then after that it will be helping to contribute
to the team.

Speaker 2 (02:00:43):
How you finding the Phoenix environment in your new teammates.

Speaker 23 (02:00:48):
Yeah, really cool. I mean, we have these incredible facilities.
It's very easy to stay here for most of the day,
which is quite cool because it's field like an energy
that maybe is a third three year old didn't really
might not have had in other places. So that's really cool.
Stay here, work hard. There's a lot of energy within
the team to a young team, which is cool as well.
And it's just really nice to be amongst familiarity like

(02:01:11):
some of the other boys I played with through the
national team and have watched throughout like the A League season.
So I'm enjoying myself here.

Speaker 2 (02:01:18):
And when you ran out there on the weekend, did
any part of you sort of flash back to the
eighteen year old Marco Rojas who deboot for Wellington.

Speaker 23 (02:01:26):
And no, not at that point obviously in my head,
it was just like I want to get on and
start playing. A few of the boys tried before that
to bring it back. They said, a clean shave and
I might be able to take her all the way back.
I was a bit hesitant to do that, though only
afterwards I guess was able to watch it back and
appreciate what it was. For that moment, I haven't really

(02:01:49):
apart from seeing like obviously the pictures side by side,
it doesn't you haven't really thought about that too much.
Just really really happy to be here at the moment.

Speaker 2 (02:01:58):
That is Marco Rojas. Good to have him back in
Phoenix Colors. Hopefully he'll play a role, maybe a slightly
bigger role as the Wellington Phoenix play the Central Coast
Mariner is later on tonight, that's a six o'clock kickoff
New Zealand Time in Gosford, nine Away from three News talks.

Speaker 1 (02:02:13):
EB analyzing every view from every angle in the Sporting World,
Weekend Sport with Jason Hie nicoll.

Speaker 2 (02:02:22):
Us talks MB and coming up five and a half
from three, and that is pretty much us on Weekend
Sport for today and for the weekend. Thank you for
listening in, thank you for taking part in the conversation.
We've had some great discussions about all sorts of things
across the weekend. We're back on Sports Talk tomorrow night
from seven as we're at the weekend and anything that

(02:02:42):
happens over the next twenty four hours or so sports
Wise will be sure to cover off. Huge thanks to
Anna McDonald for producing the show. Thanks mate, great work.
Across the weekend with an extended show yesterday as well,
So make sure you get that overtime timest not evenough
a time sheets still a thing. Do we have time sheets?
I've never filled one? They exist, have you? I don't

(02:03:04):
think I ever have no? So you know I just
do this voluntarily, don't I? Well exactly, well, yeah, it's
something we both do on a voluntary basis, and until
they find somebody else to do it for even cheaper
than nothing, we'll continue along our merry way. I think
Tim Beverage after three, I know we pay him a
heap to do the weekend collective. He's on the air
after three sing a song to go out today. We

(02:03:27):
had Neil Wedge show earlier. His book is excellent and
in it he talks about landing in Dunedin from South
Africa to join up with Otago Cricket, which was the
first step in a long association with us here in
New Zealand. And the song on his iPod was this
one from You two where the streets have No Name.
He says, whenever he hears that song, he's instantly transported

(02:03:50):
back to the aircraft landing in New Zealand's that brought
him from South Africa into our hearts. Really so where
the streets have no name takes us out today. Have
an excellent rest of your Sunday said tomorrow night.

Speaker 5 (02:04:02):
Bye now well.

Speaker 1 (02:04:47):
For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to news talks it Be weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio

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