Full Show Podcast: 26 July 2025

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.
It's all on Weekend Sport with Jason Vine on your
home of Sport News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hello Derek, to good afternoon, Welcome into Weekend Sport on
News Talks ad B. July twenty sixth, Happy birthday to
our number two ranked men's golfer Daniel Hilliot. I'm Jason
Pine Anny McDonald producing the show. We're here until three.
It feels a bit strange, I must say, not hosting
the show from a pub this afternoon, as I have

(00:50):
the last three Saturdays with the All Blacks tests on
Emerson's and Dunedin Sheared twenty two and Wellington the Roaming
Giant and Hamilton, three brilliant establishments which have hosted Weekend
Sport on the last three Saturdays. Today back into the
comparatively stair role surroundings of the News Talk SIB studio.
But that's okay. Our feature gets this afternoon. Incidentally, after

(01:13):
two is former British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland
looking ahead to tonight's second Test between the lines of
twenty twenty five and the Wallabies in Melbourne. Can Australia
square the series or will the mate of the Northern
Hemisphere sew things up with a game to spare Warren
Gatland after the two o'clock news. First up today though

(01:34):
the thorny issue that is the current state of elite
netball in New Zealand. Huge uncertainty about the future of
the aen Ze Premiership and the funding of the sport
at the top level moving forward, no broadcast deal in
place for next year and beyond, and a sense of
genuine in trepidation among our top players about what the

(01:55):
future might hold for them. I want to unpack this
this hour and PLoP the way forward for one of
our biggest sports. I want to do it in a
solutions based fashion. One of the sports great innovators, or
not netballs, but one of sports great innovators of recent
times around these parts is Justin Nilson, who did great
things with basketball. Here he's standing by with his viewpoint.

(02:19):
Former Tactics general manager Hadi Stratford a bit later on
this hour and your thoughts crucial to this discussion, So
I'm keen to hear your ideas and your observations. How
can netball continue to survive and thrive now and into
the future. Other matters around Today, the Blackfon squad for
the Rugby World Cups be named. We'll hear from some

(02:39):
key members of the team, including Captain Deludmont after one.
New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell on the show today.
Less than eleven months until the FIFA Men's World Cup.
The your Whites are going, of course, will there be
some sort of farewell match for them early in twenty
twenty six? Add another question for Andrew Pragnell, one of
our truly great Paralympians on the show too. Swim Mer

(03:01):
cam Leslie Adam Peacock. As usual on a Saturday with
Australian sporting matters, but a live sport. This afternoon, the
Warriors women kick off a home double header at go
Media Stadium against the Titans. That's underway at two forty five.
Will keep eyes on that for you. The mean to
follow of course at five o'clock and we'll wrap the
league action on the show tomorrow. And Chatham Cup Football

(03:22):
were at the quarter final stage three games today, starting
with Western Suburbs against Wellington Olympic in the Capitol from
two o'clock this afternoon. We'll keep tabs on that for you.
As always, this show is all about interaction with you,
so join in if you would like to, oh, eight
hundred and eighty ten eighty, we'll get you through on
the phone nine two ninety two for your text messages

(03:43):
emails into Jason at Newstalk SHDB dot co dot NZ.
Ten and a half past mid day.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
Let's goop from the track fields and the court on
your home of sport weekends for it with Jason vine Us.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
TALKSB Netball is navigating choppy waters right now. The future
of the A n Z Premiership is uncertain. Netball New
Zealand have said they'll run the competition next year a
sixteen format identical to this year, but there's no broadcast
deal in place yet and when that does come it
will reportedly be at a vastly reduced level, meaning player

(04:20):
payments are very much in doubt. So what is the
way forward for netball at the elite level? Justin Nelson
is hugely respected and highly regarded for the way he
firstly guided our national Basketball League through Covid as its
general manager and then in his role as head of
fan Engagement at Sky, supercharged the competition with innovations like

(04:43):
the hugely successful Rapid League. He's now working in a
new job for the Australian National Basketball League, but he
joins us to adsmon' s justin. Thanks for your time
this afternoon on weekend sport. What is your general view
on the challenging situation that netball finds itself in New
Zealand right now?

Speaker 3 (05:02):
Hey, thanks for having me. Nice to still be remembered.
Thank you. It was a great introduction and I think
it's the same as any sport. I mean, Netble's no
different to the challenges that lots of sports are facing
around the world, and that is, you know, change in
innovation and what the new and emerging fan is looking
for in sport, and they are looking for different. They

(05:24):
are looking you know, you use the word supercharge. They're
looking for supercharged entertainment where they can socialize, have a
great time, enjoy the spectacle, but importantly an opportunity to
connect with the game. And that's what all sports are chasing.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
Has netball been slow to do that?

Speaker 4 (05:46):
Well?

Speaker 3 (05:46):
Look, I can only go by the time that I
spent in New Zealand, you know, six and a half years,
and you would have to say yes. But it's no
different to a few other sports. But netball is certainly
one of those sports.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yes, So if you're in charge of netball New Zealand,
what steps would you be taking right now?

Speaker 3 (06:07):
Well, I think it starts in the boardroom and people
might find that strange, but it starts with the mentality
around the table. You need to be able to walk
into a situation where change in innovation is embraced. And
if you have people at the table, and I have
gone through this with different sports over the years, if

(06:28):
you have people at the table that want to continue
to do things the way they've always been done, chances
are it's not going to be a productive meeting. So
you need to be able to enter a room where
change and innovation is embraced and anybody who doesn't want that,
they need to stand up and respectfully leave the room.

(06:49):
For me and my experience, that's where it starts.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
So when you were in your previous role justin with Sky,
did you go to Nippall New Zealand with some suggestions
for their competition.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
Yeah, look, I mean they were one of many sports
that I had suggestions for. Yep, So the answer is yes.
And you know, conversations with sports were always good, always productive.
Netball was one, always engaging. But then the next step
is what do you do with it?

Speaker 2 (07:18):
So why didn't they do anything with the suggestions that
undoubtedly you gave them. I want to get to them
in a moment, But why do you think the boardroom
at Niple, New Zealand was one that was resistant to
innovation and change?

Speaker 5 (07:31):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (07:31):
Look, it's a hard one to answer because you don't
always know the depth of the situation that a sport
is going through, calendars, agreements with player associations, where they
are in the landscape, financially, what is possible, what's not possible,
So you don't always know the depth of what's going

(07:51):
on behind the scenes. You can sit there and you
can talk about ideation and innovation all day long, but
there are other leavers and other mechanics that play into that.
But again, find a way. I'm a big believer in
finding a way, but that is one hurdle that you

(08:12):
don't always know when you're sitting there discussing these things.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
What changes and innovations would benefit NIPPLE in your view.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's a great question, and it's only a personal opinion.
And you know, sometimes the boldness and courageousness of decisions
can be confronting, so it's probably a good way to
preface it. Some things will sit people down and surprise them.
But look, when I look at netball and dearly love

(08:47):
my grandmother who passed away early this year, she spent
sixty years in netball and Australia at a very high
level and life membership, and so I have been attached
to the game in the past, and as a youngster
spent many times on the sidelines watching my manner and
games of netball. So I've seen a bit of it.
And so one thing that's always struck me about the
game is if I bring it right back to grassroots,

(09:10):
right back to the beginning. When a child first connects
with the game, the one thing they want to do
is they want to shoot the ball, they want to
score goals. And then as you go through the game,
there's only a couple of players that can do that
and it's taken away. So you know, one of my
thoughts around the game is how do you evolve it

(09:31):
into still only having two players permitted inside the shooting
circle at any time, but it can be any two players.
So you've got seven players on the court strategically changing, innovating,
and you have any player step into that position and
shoot the ball. That's just one again, very very much

(09:52):
outside the square. But that is the sort of thing
that you need to start looking at if you truly
want to change and innovate, connect do something different, make
it more exciting and you know, embrace something that maybe
is a way of acting with a greater part of
your participation base.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
To be fair to nip On New Zealand down the
a Z Premiership, they've dipped their toe in the water
with the two point shot. Is that a valuable innovation,
a valuable addition to the game in your view?

Speaker 3 (10:22):
Well, I think you summed it up well, you know,
finding by saying they dip their toe in the water
analysis you need to go through how if speak to
the fans, what do they think? You know, I think
it is dipping the toe in the water. It's a
really good point. Sometimes when you innovate, it's not so

(10:46):
much about the innovation you put down, it's the way
people pick it up, accept it and run with it.
I mean, you talked about rapid League and the intro,
and you know, rapid League is an innovations suggestion. It's
an idea. It's very, very different to what the game
has been used to anywhere in the world at any stage,
so you need people to think differently. No matter what

(11:09):
that innovation is, it's about how the people pick it up.
It's about how the people use it and how the
people experience it and enjoy it. And if more people
do that than those that don't, that innovation becomes successful.
And that's a good example of what has become successful.
But it's also the things you put around the sport,
the timing of the season, the ability for players to

(11:31):
play globally and go on and earn money in other competitions.
I have been a person that's spoken in the past
about the competition in New Zealand for netball clashing with
the competition in Australia. I don't think that's a good
thing for the players and their ability to earn a living.

Speaker 2 (11:53):
I could not agree more. And may journe in July
as busy anyway, But the fact that it also clashes
with the other professional NEPALL competition in this part of
the world just seems seen, you know, not ideal. So
it should nipple new zone. Just move the competition window,
give themselves clear airplay it. I don't know, August, September,

(12:14):
October instead.

Speaker 3 (12:16):
Well, for me, that's the first thing. That's the first
step to change. Do it in a way where the
players who are the stars of the show, they've got
the ability to apply their craft, play money, become global talents.
And that's something that if I'm in a sport like netball,

(12:36):
how do we become more global? How do our players
become more global? Our people go out there and perform
and be paid on a global stage. We see in football,
for instance, very very prevalent. Basketball is an other one
global sport.

Speaker 4 (12:49):
How do we allow our.

Speaker 3 (12:52):
Players to grow? So for me, yeah, that's one that
should definitely happen. It's almost box number one that you'd
want to tick. Just getting back to the innovation. One
other thing that I've always found interesting, that's probably a
good word for it, is the center pass after a

(13:13):
goal in netball, and the fact that changes from one
team to the other. There's not too many sports where
you can score and get the ball back. For me,
I've just been around sports where if you score, the
opposition gets the ball all the time. So again, little
things like that. What can you learn from other sports?

(13:35):
What can you see that other sports do that may
help you tweak and change a few things to take
your sport forward in a different direction.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
Fans do seem to be turning up in pretty good numbers,
and the game day experience looks pretty good. I haven't
admittedly been to many games, but on TV plenty of color,
lots of kids, that sort of thing. Do you think
it ball has done a pretty good job of engaging
its fans at venue?

Speaker 3 (14:00):
Yeah, I do. I ventured to some Pulse games when
I was in Wellington, thoroughly enjoyed them. Really strong connection
with ensuring that those people go along and enjoy the game.
So yet, big big tip, no doubt about it. But
it goes beyond that. You're only as strong as your

(14:21):
weakest link. Is it happening in every stadium? Is it consistent?
Is the offering consistent? Can fans go along and experience good,
solid social outcomes? What's the demographic of the audience? Is
it too skewed one way? Whether that's male female, where
you know whether it's gender based, whether it's age based,

(14:41):
is it too skewed one way? So all of those
things you need to constantly It's almost like on a
weekly basis, you need to constantly be digging really deep
into the data. Are they collecting data? You know, is
a sport doing the right thing to keep up with
the pace, to keep up with the emerging fan market

(15:02):
by really trawling through the data. And you can only
try through the data if you've got it. So all
of these things, all of these little leavers that sit
around game day, are absolutely vital to the health, sustainability
and growth of a business in sport.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
Any sport will elite knitbull survive in New Zealand.

Speaker 6 (15:24):
I hope so yeah, I hope.

Speaker 3 (15:26):
So I want all sports to survive on You know,
you've known me well enough now that all sports have
a place. When people speak to me about, you know,
what sport do I think their young child should play,
I say all of them. Experience as many as you
possibly can, because that's the enjoyment of getting active and

(15:47):
getting into a sport, and you'll find one that sticks
and then you have that connection, that deep connection and
aspiration through to the elite level, and you need to
see the elite level. You need to be able to
go to the elite level. You know, if it's switch
the TV on, you need to see it to be it.
So yeah, one hundred percent it should be there. But

(16:08):
from what I'm seeing and hearing, and obviously you've got
me on today, so people are talking about it, it's
at the crossroads. And when you're at the crossroads, you
need to think differently, you need to act differently. You
need to embrace change in innovation, and most importantly, you
need to be bold and courageous.

Speaker 2 (16:27):
Very interesting, thought provoking stuff as always from you, Justin,
thanks so much for taking the time for a chat
this afternoon. Really appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (16:35):
Hey, thanks for remembering who I am.

Speaker 2 (16:38):
No danger of forgetting you justin. Thanks mate, Justin Nilson
your chance to react now to anything you heard there. Oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty. Let's find some solutions
to this. One thing is pretty obvious. They have to
look at when the comp is run. It's in May,
June and July. Currently that is an extremely clogged sporting window.

(17:02):
By the time it starts, the NRL season well underway,
so to the National bar Basketball League season, which basically
runs parallel the A League reaching its climax, and when
July hits, it's all black season. May to July is
just too busy to get any cut through and you
still never be a time when you have the sporting

(17:23):
audience all to yourself. But there is clearer air elsewhere,
specifically around kind of late August to late October. And
the other advantage, the main advantage of moving it there
is that you avoid a clash with the Australian Super
Netball comp which runs from April to August. If you

(17:43):
move the A and Z Premiership from August to October,
it would mean players could play in both comps. Our
best players could play over there, and then we'd be
able to attract some of the best Australian players over
here to strengthen our comp and our best players could
get closer to being professionals in the true sense of
the word, playing from April through to October seven month proposition.

(18:09):
And yeah, she'd have to rejink the international season, but
how many nations actually play netball?

Speaker 4 (18:18):
You know?

Speaker 2 (18:18):
How many phone calls would you have to make to
rejink the international season? One to Australia, one to South
Africa probably, and then to the Northern Hemisphere when you
wanted to play them. Without a decent domestic competition, everything
else will suffer. I love Justin's idea of anyone on
the netball team being allowed to score only two in

(18:42):
the circle at any one time, but it can be
any two of the seven on the court. Imagine the
tactics and the strategies that could be employed to take
best advantage of that. Furthermore, you think about the first
thing all young netballers want to do when they start playing.
When they turn up to play netball for the first time,

(19:02):
what do they do but don't start practicing this center part.
They gravitate to the hoop and they start shooting the
ball at it. But as soon as they start playing,
they're told no, no, no, no, only two players can do that.
We take away from five to sevenths of those on

(19:23):
the court the thing they want to do the most,
shoot the ball. And then ask yourself this, as you
drive around your neighborhood, how many kids are shooting at
netball goals in their driveways or at schools or wherever
it might be. And by contrast, how many are shooting

(19:44):
at a basketball hope. I think we all know the
answer to that. Look, as I said at the top
of the show, we should come at this through a
solution's filter. As sports fans, we all want netball to
survive and to thrive. It's given us some absolutely wonderful
moments in our sporting history and some magnificent athletes. But

(20:06):
Nipple is at a crossroads. They simply cannot rest on
their laurels, which I should think they have a bit
in the last couple of decades. For a long, long time,
netball traded off the fact that they were the only
game in town pretty much for females. Up until relatively recently,
neple was the only sport offered to girls at many

(20:30):
primary and high schools. Now there are heaps of options.
Young girls are flocking to play football, to play basketball,
to play rugby, to play rugby league, and they're seeing
aspirational pathways in all of those sports. Netball does not
have a monopoly on the broad base of grassroots or

(20:54):
anymore on our best young female athletes. They're faced Netble
with a challenging sporting landscape and one which they need
to react to or they will fall deeper into a hole.
One thing which is absolutely not an option for netball
is inertia. They cannot do nothing, They cannot stand still.

(21:19):
They must react. They got to innovate or they will
wither and they will die. Oh eight hundred eighty ten
eighty is our phone number ninety two ninety two on text.
Want to get your thoughts on this, anything you heard
from Justin Nelson, Any thoughts you have on the game
and netball and how it can rise again to the
heights where you all want it to be at. We'll

(21:40):
take a break, come back with some of your calls.
Eight hundred eighty ten eighty.

Speaker 1 (21:43):
The biggest seeds in sports are on Weekend Sports with
Jason Paine and Gjjunnomes New Zealand's most trusted home builder
news Dogs.

Speaker 2 (21:52):
There be twelve thirty one just before we go to
the lines on text. The move to Walks doc Tober
would mean our domestic competition clashes with the international season.
Stupid idea means our players would be underprepared for the
elite competitions. Well just move the internationals. Like I say,
we don't have to consult that many nations do we
We don't you know, we don't have to have to

(22:16):
bring up two hundred different nations that play netball. We
just said of Australia, look we're going to move our camp.
It benefits you as well. Not that they need us
to help them out particularly, but just say, the Solfa
Ferns aren't available to play until after our comp's finished
in October, so we're gonna have to play November December.

(22:38):
What are Australia going to say, Well, no, you know,
just innovate, innovate or die Calvin, what are we going
to do about the sport of yours?

Speaker 7 (22:49):
Well, it'll be hard to get back again because I
was just thinking I was hanging on Jason when I
was there, and fella, there were so many. There weren't
very many bicycle sports, but Nowadaysia mountain bikes and round
the track and up the road and everywhere. And then
there's all the sports do with the sky and the
sales and the water.

Speaker 8 (23:10):
You know.

Speaker 7 (23:11):
The only used to be originally parachutes and that was it,
but now there's all sorts of things. But the greatest,
the greatest team, the greatest Australasian team. On twenty second
of July twenty twelve on a Sunday. Why could it
may Plenty beat the Vixen's forty one thirty eight and

(23:35):
there was the greatest in those days. Of course there
was five Aussie teams and five New Zealand teams fantastic
and it was I think it was New Zealand initially
pulled away from that, but it was all to do
with finance and all that and time wise. But I
didn't know what they can do now to get back
to those glory days. But there's been a bit of

(23:57):
talk about in the finals, but at that stage in
twenty twelve, the Magic went into the finals competition. They
were fourth I think going in or could have been serid.
I think it was fourth and they will Finnish up
winning the competition. But you asked me a hard question.
I haven't got any answer, So I don't know what.
I don't know what's going to be. But the game.

(24:18):
They don't want to change the game too much, otherwise
you might as well call it it's original what it
was called originally basketball.

Speaker 2 (24:26):
Yeah, look, I'm not suggesting that that you allow the
players to start bouncing the ball or run with it
or morph into anything like that. I don't think anybody
suggesting that you don't want to take away the essence
of what the game is, which is you know, finding
space and you know, incisive passing and that sort of thing.
But something has to be done, Calvin, you know. I

(24:46):
mean if Sky have decided that they you know, they're
not willing to invest in the competition anymore to the
level that it requires to keep it professional, then they
have to do something.

Speaker 8 (25:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (25:01):
So otherwise a sider with money, you don't need somebody
like me who would luckily win the thirty million dollar
lotto and give that straight away to netball, and a
lot of problems would be solved, wouldn't it.

Speaker 2 (25:14):
They might be Calvin, Yes, I don't know where. I
think once you won the thirty million, they might spend
a bit on yourself, mate, I would, But you're good
to chat to you, good to chat to you. The
separation from the Australian teams certainly had an impact on
our national team, didn't it, And on our domestic competition,

(25:35):
you know, it was it was good to see how
we would go against the Australian sides. It always felt
as though they were better than us and on the
occasions like Kelvin just mentioned there where New Zealand teams
did beat them in big, big games. It was a
feather in all of our caps. So yeah, the separation
has not been helpful to us. Yes, it was driven

(25:56):
by money. The cost of trans Tasman competition is proved
to be prohibitive. So if we stick with the New
Zealand competition, and we stick with what we've got, then
maybe you look at you rather than looking at adding
new teams in or things like that, you look at
a couple of things like moving the competition to benefit
the players on both sides of the Tasman but also

(26:19):
innovations in the game, the two point shot. A lot
of people got talking about nitball because of the two
point shot. There was an innovation, it was something. It
was a talking point and they you know, and people
tell them, why do you just have to wait till
the last couple of minutes of every quarter. Why isn't
it like that all the time? In basketball? The three

(26:39):
point shot is alive for the entire game. Why is
the two point shot and netball only available at certain times?
Why can't it be there all the time? But at
least we're talking about it at least we're trying something different.
Let everybody shoot and just move two in and two
out or one and one out. You know, that's in
the tactics of making sure that you've got the right

(27:01):
players in there and everybody would be able to shoot,
which is what young players who take up the game
gravitake towards Hello, film, get a pointy, you're good, I'm
very good.

Speaker 5 (27:15):
Things film excellent, excellent, always good to hear. I didn't
think i'd be bringing up about netble be ringing up
and talk about Nepple and so I do like the game,
but it wasn't one I thought i'd be ringing up about.
But interesting listening to that fella. He brought up some
good points so I thought that I hadn't thought of before,
like one where he said, you know, you've got to

(27:37):
be willing to change in the boardroom as well if
the people that are running it aren't open to new
ideas and that you're going to go nowhere. So that
was a good point. Now, just before I get on
to my other thoughts that I'll go through quickly. Point
he just helped me out with this one. You just
said that the broadcasting they don't know if it's not
the broadcasting rights have got none, or they don't know

(27:58):
they're going to have any next year. So is it
the broadcasters that pay the wages? If they're not, if
they'd not got any broadcasting rights, that mean the players
don't get any wayes because I just want to clear
that up because I've got.

Speaker 2 (28:10):
To get Yeah, well that you that is that's the
model for yeah that the broadcast revenue that the association
gets largely goes towards player salaries. So yes, So if
for example, I mean there'll be a broadcast to your
next year, Sky will will almost certainly broadcast the games,

(28:31):
but what they pay Netball New Zealand to do so
will be drastically reduced, which will mean Netball New Zealand
will have to do one of two things. They'll either
have to dip into their own cash reserves to top
up the salaries, and that's only a very short term solution.
You can't keep on doing that, or they'll have to
find other revenue streams like sponsorship for example, and things

(28:52):
like that to help make up the shortfall. So yeah,
broadcast revenue is absolutely crucial to the ongoing health of
any professional sport.

Speaker 5 (29:02):
Okay, thank you for that. Thinks that gives me an understanding,
a better understanding.

Speaker 7 (29:05):
Now.

Speaker 5 (29:07):
I initially thought shooting anybody be on a shoot wasn't
a bad idea, But the more I think about it,
a bit like Calvin, is it Calvin, I sort of
wonder how that would affect the structure of the game
by allowing anybody to shoot, like you say, just still
have two. But still I'm kind of thinking, not one
hundred percent sure in that way, but I thought the
two point shot thing, I think has been a great

(29:28):
and a great interventure innovation because I think I've already
seen on the news sporting news where there's been a
couple of times where games have been won by that
two point shot, and it's made it more exciting and
interesting and closer. I thought, I thought an idea like
you said about the center pass, which I never thought about,
and you said how there's very few sports where teams

(29:50):
get the ball back when they score. So I thought, yeah,
it's a it's a good it's not a bad point.
So maybe if they have like a throw up instead
of a cent of pass, where then you know it's
fifty to fifty of who ever getting the.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
Ball, No bad ideas. Still that's something. No bad ideas here,
no bad ideas, And people said, I will in rugby
and rugby league, the other team gets the ball. If
you score a try, the other team kicks off and
it has to go ten meters so you you know,
so you you effectively get it back. But I think
the point that Justin was making was that that the
team that's just scored the point, that try, the goal,

(30:27):
whatever it is, doesn't get the ball in their possession.
And any other sport to kick off apart from netball,
that's the only one that I can think of where
where they get they get the ball back. And yes
it's on a it's on a you know, turn about
it alternates again. It's just I mean, like you say,

(30:49):
and just think of different things. Just just get in
a whate get in a boardroom and just write a
whole bunch of ideas down tick through here. Where is
it here it is? Leave netball alone. It's not doing
anything particularly. It should not become a variation of basketball.
No to everybody's shooting. Not everyone wants to be a shooter.

(31:12):
Thousands of children play netball because they love the game
as it is I've been to several home games for
the Mystics this season. Each has been well attended, entertaining,
the atmosphere has been incredible. Netborne New Zella are doing
well while keeping the integrity of the game. It always
comes down to money. Sort your priorities out, Sky, Okay.
What I would say to that is that clearly netball
are not doing well. Otherwise Sky would be banging their

(31:35):
door down to broadcast their games. I agree with you
on game the in game experience is great, but for
whatever reason, the game doesn't rate on television. Otherwise, Sky, essay,
would be beating the door down at Netborn New Zealand
to pay them whatever they wanted to What if Netball
wanted to broadcast. I take on board what you're saying.

(31:58):
You don't have to change, but if you stand in
the way of changing innovation, one of two things happen.
You become irrelevant or you get run over by the
other sports who are willing to innovate, who are willing
to try something different. Nineteen away from one New Stalks
be back with more in a minute.

Speaker 1 (32:15):
Just don't get caught offside. Eight hundred eighty ten eighty
Weekend Sports with Jason Pain and GJ. Guvnerhove's New Zealand's
most trusted home builder news Dogs.

Speaker 2 (32:25):
MB coming up Call it to one. Hadi Stratford is
the former general manager of the Tactics and joins us
on Weekend Sport. Haiti, thanks for your view and insight.
WA's your general view first of all on the challenging
situation Netbel finds itself in right now.

Speaker 9 (32:40):
Yeah, a lot of different components, aren't there going on
at the moment. I think, I think a really important
thing to remember is this is not all just happened
in one year. You know, this has been I suppose
several years of culmination of different types of things that
the sport's been a suppose under challenged with. I mean,
obviously every sport had the COVID thing nettle. Then we
managed to have like two like really early seasons due

(33:04):
to Conwell's games, et cetera. We had double header weekends.
All of those things that have, like bit by bit
put pressure on the sport. And then of course we've
got three teams that are effectively underneath New Zealand in
terms of financial management, three out of the six fifty
percent not ideal lots of those different components I think
sort of adding adding pressure, and yeah, we are now

(33:26):
where the sport is needing to make.

Speaker 2 (33:29):
Some change before we look ahead. Just on the scenario
you've just outlined, could Netball New Zealand have done anything
differently in the past four or five years to avert
the situation they're in now? Gosh, that's a.

Speaker 9 (33:45):
Tough question, isn't it. I think, like most people, whether
it's sport or business, could could sit there with the
benefit of hindsight and say that, I mean one side
of it, you could actually say, looking on the positive side,
you could say, well, net New Zellan actually held has
held it together longer than maybe other sports would have
because they've actually taken on the responsibility of these three
franchises that the regions where those regions struggled. So maybe

(34:08):
we've managed to hold on longer than the sport was
ever sort of like meant to be able to do.
And the other way of looking at is that, yeah,
maybe we needed to have innovated earlier, Maybe we needed
to have been stronger with the network sort of deals. Yeah,
maybe we need to look at the eligibility sooner. There's
certainly like I just I feel like it's really easy

(34:30):
to sit here and say all those different things. But
there's no doubt that the innovations that have come in
this year, like the two point shot, people that don't
normally watch netball talk to me about it and have
really enjoyed that component of us and actually have been
saying why don't why don't we have that for the
whole match? So I think that's really cool. But has
it just been has it just come a little bit late?

Speaker 2 (34:53):
So yeah, as you say, hindsight is always twenty twenty.
There's no point, you know, relitigating what's happened in the past.
Let's look forward. What are the best steps for Netball
New Zealand to take from here?

Speaker 9 (35:06):
I think the most important thing is to take a step.

Speaker 6 (35:10):
You can't stand still. You've got to.

Speaker 9 (35:13):
Be brave and move in a direction, and I think
that is the most important thing. So neither it doesn't
matter what direction they choose to go on them and
the players, They've just got to move and I think
then that gives players clarity, which is at the moment,
you know they don't have and they are your want
of the better term, your assets, right, you know you

(35:34):
need your players to sort of get the game on
the TV, and so I think just some form of direction.
You've got to give people direction and that. Do you
know what, there's always things that come out of it.
You know, if the am Z Premiership were to go
or was to go on to a different window, you
could see a rebirth of sort of like an MPC
format where you've actually which has really been lost in

(35:55):
the years with netball. You know, there's a big jump
between the am Z Premiership and Club World. You know
that could be reborn and that's actually really exciting. So
I don't think it needs to all doom and gloom.
I think you've got to read the room.

Speaker 10 (36:08):
You've got to work out what's.

Speaker 9 (36:09):
Beast for the players. And if the money's not there,
the money's not there. It doesn't mean to say it
won't come back, but you can't, like I mean, we've
all been hanging on for a long time. I mean
when I was GM in the role for those three years,
you know, I don't know if you know many general
managers that are part time, like it was, it was
a part it was a contractor there's a part time role,
and all of our staff were part time, including all

(36:31):
of the players. So you know, Netpaul has done amazing
stuff with the resources that it has had, which has
been awesome because you look at sports like you know, hockey,
which haven't had that sort of platform. But yeah, how
can we get it back? What do we need to do?
But You've just I just think they've got to just
keep moving.

Speaker 2 (36:48):
How do you think the players should be feeling in
general terms right now?

Speaker 9 (36:54):
Look, I think it's the lesson for everybody, Like being
a professional athlete is a really volatile career choice. I
think all these girls are in it for all the
right reasons. They love the sports and that passionate about
what they do. It's their job at the moment? Are
I supposed to some of them? If I was an
agent to the top players, I'd be remiss and not
advising them to be looking off for offshore contracts. And

(37:17):
I've got no doubt that the top players would have
been presented them already. I'm not an agent, by the way,
and I'm not contecting anybody, but I think that's a
no brainer. But you've also i think current talked on
your Guys show the other day, You've got to remember
that people have lives outside of the sport, and for
some of them, it's not just a matter of jumping
up and going across the ditch and playing the sport.

(37:38):
So yeah, I think there'll be other considerations that players
you know, have think about. But I reckon on one
of the things that's really challenging for the girls is
when they're in the season, not just giving it everything.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
Right.

Speaker 9 (37:51):
So you've got four teams now out, those girls will
be in panic mode. You've got two teams still playing tomorrow.
Come one day, that's when the realization will see them
for a lot of them. And I think the next
couple of weeks, next few weeks, they're going to be really,
really tough. But just not just the players though either
Jason like the support stuff. I mean, their contracts have

(38:12):
already been cut down to this two round thing. People
forget about that, and so it's those guys as well.

Speaker 2 (38:19):
So how optimistic do you feel, Haiti? It's a challenging
situation for netball New Zealand, for the players, the support stuff,
everybody involved in the sport. How optimistic do you feel
that netball can can thrive again? Because I mean the
game's massive here, you know, participation numbers are enormous. Historically
it's been a sport we've all loved and got behind,

(38:40):
even in the am Z Premiership now big crowds are
turning up. How optimistic do you feel that the sport
can thrive at the elite level moving forward?

Speaker 9 (38:49):
Look looking at the basic facts, like the game is popular,
Like people love netball. I think about people like my
mum and who friends and man, the prospect of the
AMZI Premiership not being on TV every weekend would be
absolutely devastating for those guys, Like they get their friends
together and they watch the game, and there's so many
people who do that. I think all the girl little

(39:10):
young girls and boys who are coming to the stadium
and watch the heroes, Like the idea of that not
being there is devastating. I think, like I think, if
I don't know, I suppose, like the eligibility piece that
they've delivered, well, the timing might not have been ideal
this week. I actually am given a bit of hope
with that because that's been sort of debated for years

(39:30):
and they've finally made a decision on it, and I
personally think it's the right one. And so that's that's
been brave of them to do that, and so I
think that gives hope. That gives me hope that they're
willing to be brave to make other decisions rather than
just sort of status quiet. I'm just really hopeful that they,
you know, they just embrace it and make take another.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
Step, make a decision just before you go, Hadi tomorrow.
Can your tactics or your former tactic side finally win
one of these things? Yeah?

Speaker 9 (40:01):
I look, I think a lot of people have been
talking and Liza's been talking on the radio this morning
about you know, resilience and we're task and all that.
You've got to kind of put that stuff aside for
a little minute and just look at the bare bones
of the game and just you look, if our attacking
in can bring it. If teeps us on a game,
which I've got no doubt she will be She's had
a great season. If we can get the attacking side

(40:25):
working really well, I have full faith in the girls.
I mean, our defensive group showed some real grip last week,
and if Karen and Jane step up like they did
in the second half of last week's game, I think
it'll come down to the wire. I think in my
first year we were in the grand final at Consalkland
and they got us by two, So that'll be in
the back minds of these girls as well. So full

(40:45):
faith we definitely can do it. Just hopefully, hopefully we're
the ones that turn up and show them the way.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
All right, and may there be a bright future for
the competition as well. Hey, do you really appreciate you
taking the time to join us this afternoon. Thanks for your.

Speaker 9 (40:57):
Time, not a problem, thank you, no, thank you.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
Hadi Hatti Stratford, former general manager of the Tactics. Coming
up six and a half to one, coming up three
to one. Are heaps of great text through which I
do want to get to after one o'clock, so I'll
get to some of the really articulate thoughts that have
come through on on text. We can hit the lines
open as well on the netball situation if you like.
But I want to transition across as well to the
Black Ferns, because yesterday the Blackfern squad was named for

(41:21):
the upcoming Rugby World Cup. Can they defend their title?
Some of the key players who might do that. After
one o'clock.

Speaker 1 (41:29):
The only place to discuss the biggest sports issues on
and after fields.

Speaker 11 (41:34):
It's all on weekends.

Speaker 1 (41:35):
Forward with Jason Vane on your home of.

Speaker 2 (41:38):
Sport or Hello there, this is Weekend Sport one oh
seven is the time. I'm Jason Pine. Andy McDonald is
producing the show. In an hour or so, Warren Gatland
will join us out of Australia where tonight in Melbourne,
ninety thousand plus are expected to watch the second Test
between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions. Waladies
need to win it to keep the series alive, hitting

(42:00):
to Test three in Sydney next Saturday. For the Lions,
if they win tonight, they sew up the series. Warring Gatland,
of course, was coach of the British and Irish Lions
on their tour of Australia in twenty thirteen and here
in New Zealand in twenty seventeen. What is he predicting
tonight and what do the Lions and the Wallabies have

(42:20):
to do to get the outcome? They are looking forward
tonight Warren Gatland. In an hour or so, our Australian
correspondent Adam Peacock going to touch on the lines Wallabies
as well. This so how we're going to get to
the black Ferns shortly as well. Just want to get
through a few of these texts that came through last
hour when we were talking netball, because people are taking
a lot of time sending these through and arranging their

(42:42):
thoughts in coherent fashion that I think it's only fair
that we mop these up with some really interesting thoughts.
We're talking netball last hour, if you're just joining us,
and what can be done to reinvigorate the sport to
the point where it is attractive to broadcast us, it
is attractive to those who pay a large portion of

(43:04):
the salaries broadcasters because as we understand it, the broadcast
deal with Sky hasn't been signed yet and when it
is for next year, it'll be a greatly reduced one.
And we got onto a wider discussion about the sport
and netball from Aiden and Duneed and few thoughts borrowing
principles from the Big Bash revival in Australia. Make the

(43:26):
exciting parts of the game more exciting e g. Goals
scored off intercepts could be worth two points and you
get the ball at the next restart. I understand the
restrictions on player players limiting the attraction of this game
compared to rugby, league, football, etc. Strategy priorities for game leadership, engauge, connect,
transact with the audience and beyond fred to are to

(43:48):
be viewable by all. Thanks Adan, appreciate your thoughts. Mussy's Piney.
Having two teenage daughters that love and play netball, I
can tell you they're looking at sevens now along with
the Black Ferns and NRLW along with all their friends.
Because those sports are promoting it better. Netball have to
be careful they loser generation. Thanks mass Alfonso says this

(44:09):
is crazy. Netble is the most popular sport in New
Zealand by number of participants. That's actually not true, Alfonso,
it's football. It is very popular among females and the
secondary school age group in particular. I believe it to
still be the most popular sport in our secondary schools
with female participants, certainly a couple of years ago. I've

(44:32):
got to study here from twenty twenty three, and it
may have changed since. In fact, I'm almost certain that
it will have. But netble was the most popular sport
full stop in our secondary schools, marginally ahead of basketball
at that time. With volleyball, rugby and football following. But
I know that after the World Cup, the FIFA Women's
World Cup in twenty twenty three mentioned this last hour
of twenty seven percent increase and play numbers a among

(44:52):
young young female players. So netbale isn't the most popular sport.
But even if it was, that doesn't take away from
what's happening at the elite level. Yes, the base of
the pyramid can be very strong, and in many ways
that makes us more confusing why it can't be at

(45:13):
elite level. Grahams is pinty, good afternoon, Nipple and going forward,
perhaps more to the point, not going forward. From different reports,
I've heard the board of Nipple in New Zealand sounds
like it is at least somewhat archaic an attitude. For example,
look at how long it took them to at least
address publicly the overseas based players being eligible for silver

(45:35):
furn selection. Even now I don't know if that point
has been dealt with satisfactorily. A change of at least
some board members may at least address some of the
heel dragging that appears so evident in the sport, Thank
you very much. Indeed, Graham for your text. Greeg says,
is not up to Sky to improve the game in Nipple,
It's up to Nepple to improve their own game. And
then they'll have Sky knocking on their door. They'll be

(45:57):
knocking it down. Thank you. Greg. Brendon asks if we
move the season, when would you play internationals? I'd have
them at the back end of the year. I'd have
them in November, and Brendan says, I think the simple
answer is to go back to a trans tancement competition league.
Do it football, do it rugby, do it better for TV,
better for crowds, and then play internationals afterwards and final

(46:19):
one here. Knitball looked at the rules a few years ago,
but they were concerned that it got it too close
to the European game called corfball. Netball is a bit
of a dying game and it has too much whistle.
I think that's the other thing you hear about netble,
isn't it too much whistle? Anyway, A good discussion. Thank

(46:41):
you for all of your calls, correspondence and feedback on it.
No doubt there'll be more to come. As I said,
to put a cap on all of this, we all
want the sport to survive. We all want. I mean,
if you're listening to this show, you're at least interested
in sport. I think we all want all sport to
do well. And netball has done tremendously well down the years,

(47:03):
and it's provided us with world championship moments, games moments,
high drama, some of our great athletes, and we want
that to continue. So let's hope that that can occur.
Speaking of top athletes, the thirty three strong squad tasked
with defending the Black Ferns title as Rugby World Cup

(47:24):
champions has been announced. Not too many surprises in the
squad named in Wellington last night. The main talking point
was the o mission of outside back Ruby Toohey. She's
featured only once off the bench for the team this year,
after being a pretty integral part of the team that
won the World Cup at the back end of twenty
twenty two. No room for her in the outside backs,

(47:46):
the selectors instead opting for Porscha Woodman, Wickliffe, Renee Holmes,
Asha Lettiinger, Caitlin colel and Braxton Sorenson McGee. Veteran Cali
Brazier has earned a place. She's the backup first five
to co captain Auola Hey Dumont. She's only played Cali
Brazier twice for the Black Ferns since twenty twenty one,

(48:06):
but has done enough to convince the selectors they needed
her in the squad for what will be her fourth
World Cup. I was lucky enough to be at the
squad announcement yesterday out in Upper Huts and it was
a terrific occasion. I have to say it was very
family focused. All of the players came into the room
and up onto the stage accompanied by a family member.

Speaker 4 (48:29):
There was.

Speaker 2 (48:31):
A real family feel to the whole thing and genuine excitement.
I think about this team, even though they won't go
to the World Cup as favorites, I've got a lot
of work to do to try and defend it, particularly
against a very very strong England side who will be
on home soil. But there was a real sense of
optimism in the room yesterday about their ability to do that.
I caught up with a few of the players during

(48:53):
the event. One of those was Hurricane's poor winger Asha Letti,
ainger who was off to her second World Cup. So
hows she feeling about that?

Speaker 12 (49:02):
Overwhelmed with the motions. I guess doing this in my
hometown in Wellington and I get to have all my
family here and to go to another World Cup again
is yeah? It to pinch me moment all over again.

Speaker 2 (49:15):
It hasn't been a straight line for you either, has it?
Since the last World Cup? How do you reflect back
on that time out of the game that what nearly
two years?

Speaker 11 (49:23):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (49:23):
I guess with my injury, doing my ac hour kind
of made me more hungry to come back for the
squad and to even make the World Cup squad again.
So that was always my goal, my driving god to
get back. So yeah, pretty stoked.

Speaker 2 (49:37):
What's that? What sort of kept you going in those
darker moments? Were you able to look ahead to twenty
twenty five and think, right, that's what I'm aiming for.

Speaker 12 (49:45):
I guess with injury comes challenges, and one of those
is south doubt will you ever play like how you
used to? But my goal was always to make another
World Cup again, so there was the driving force for everything,
and also my family as well. Although I was injured,
it gave me time with family just to refresh, to

(50:05):
come back.

Speaker 2 (50:06):
Are you back to where you were? Is that how
you feel? Oh?

Speaker 12 (50:10):
If I'm being honest, I think I'm better than what
I was. I'm in better shape mentally and physically. So yeah,
let's go and win another World Cup.

Speaker 2 (50:21):
I love that. I love that. How often do you
think back to twenty twenty two, the last one? I
know you've got to put it behind you at some stage,
but how often do you think back to that night?

Speaker 12 (50:29):
You can never put that behind you. I guess when
do you ever play a World Cup at home, right
in front of your families and just their last moment
with Jonah getting that last line out? They will always
replay my head and every time I rewatched the game,
I always create the inside.

Speaker 2 (50:44):
Yeah, Asie, And you look at the outside backs in
this team, it's stacked, man, there are some talented outside backs.
How do you balance up eron mots to play but
doing what's best for this team?

Speaker 12 (50:54):
I guess we all know our role in this team, man.
I know selections will be based off who was better
for the team that we play against, and we're just
trying to make each other better. And it's all healthy
susion out there.

Speaker 2 (51:07):
And there's word up on the stage that you're sort
of the spark plugging this team I know you yelled
out that you weren't. You're actually quite shy. It didn't
seem like it. What do you can you talk a
bit about the culture off the field in this Black
Fils team.

Speaker 12 (51:18):
I guess you could say the girth a pretty a
tiny group. We all come from big family so it's
pretty easy to mingle against each other. But also we're
together for long periods of time, so we only have
each other. We actually enjoy each other's company off field.
We love good board games and stuff like that, and
we love to have a laugh.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
So yeah, all right, you reckon this team can go
back to back, why not?

Speaker 7 (51:40):
Right?

Speaker 2 (51:43):
Of course it will be a challenge.

Speaker 12 (51:44):
We're playing England at their home turf, but we're up
for their challenge.

Speaker 2 (51:49):
So yeah. That is Asha Littiinge, who was a big
star at the last World Cup when New Zealand won
in twenty twenty two, then had that long lail with injury.
Great to have her back and fit and firing by
the sounds of it, and her words are better than
she was before. Also spoke with co captain. Although I
hate Dumont, the veteran of forty five test matches, I

(52:10):
asked her if she remembered the feeling of being selected
for her first World Cup as many of her teammates
experienced yesterday.

Speaker 13 (52:19):
Yeah, I remember I missed the car because I was
on a flight, so I got a text when I
turned my phone back off flight mode.

Speaker 14 (52:27):
And the overwhelming.

Speaker 13 (52:31):
Disbelief, you know, when you have a goal and you
work so hard towards it and for so long that
goal seems like it's out of reach, and so to
be named for the first time is a feeling I'll
never forget. And I see that when I look at
my teammates who are experiencing their first time, you know,
and just see the happiness, the tears, and to cap

(52:53):
it off with our family being here just makes this
moment so much more real and so much more.

Speaker 7 (53:01):
Full circle.

Speaker 1 (53:02):
I guess.

Speaker 2 (53:02):
Yeah, what's going to get real pretty quick, isn't it?
When you I think you're another week was here and
then you're on the plane and away you go. In
a month or so, you'll be out there. How ready
do you feel to defend the World Cup? Yeah?

Speaker 13 (53:13):
I think the beauty of the World Cup is that
you kind of want to peek at the right time,
you know what I mean, Like I have full confidence
and trust in our team that we will be exactly
where we need to be when we need to be there.

Speaker 2 (53:29):
I hope that answers your question. It answers it perfectly.
It's a great answer. The blend of youth and experience
in the team. It was talked about up there on stage.
How crucial is that in a World Cup? Is you
need those who have been there before for those who
are a little bit naive really and just play without
bear Oh?

Speaker 13 (53:47):
I think those players that in some cases are even
more important than the players who have been there, done
it before and know what to expect. I think of
players like Young Bay, one of the new props within
our team, who hasn't played many tests, and she reminds
me of many of us who experienced self first World

(54:07):
Cup back in twenty twenty two, and just the excitement
that we had walking towards anything and nothing was seen
as pressure because it was a privileged pressure, and we
flip that into enjoyment. And that's what I see when
I look at my teammates who who are inexperienced when
it comes to World Cups, they have their youthful enthusiasm
and welcome and embrace every challenge as an opportunity and

(54:30):
as something to be celebrated. Yeah, so it's extremely important
and one of our values is stoy and those players
bring joy to those moments where some of us have
experienced and before. It kind of remind us what it's
like and how it should feel.

Speaker 2 (54:43):
That's amazing. But of course, you know, cool heads under
pressure are needed and that's where experience does come. And
you're going to be guiding this team around from the
ten jersey most probably are you ready for that challenge?
How do you feel about the responsibility of doing that again?

Speaker 13 (54:57):
I feel excited first of all that I'm even here
and I'm able to dome this jersey and guide this team.
It's a privilege that I don't take for granted, so
I'm excited at that. I feel that our coaching staff
have worked really hard behind the scenes to make sure
that we have a game plan.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
Where we're really adaptable.

Speaker 13 (55:19):
We're able to shape opposition and understand, you know, solutions
to different pictures. Our analysts is another awesome guy who
works behind the scenes. He does a lot of scouting
for us and identifies with the opportunities, you know, like
many analysts do, and so it makes our jobs as
players on the field. It makes my job as a
game driver so much more easier. That we have plan A,

(55:40):
Plan B, Plan C. And we've experimented with a lot
of those plans this year. Some have come off and
some haven't, and we've had a lot of time to prepare.
Like you said, we've got another week and a half
here in Wellington where we're still assembled as a squad
and training, and we get more time to get those
training pictures, iron out a few kinks before we get

(56:00):
on the plane and head over for our first game.

Speaker 2 (56:02):
And obviously everybody's talking about England, and rightly so, they're
very good. But are you able to look at this
as not just you against England? It's an act, actual tournament.
You want to get to the final first, right, So
can you approach it game by game? Is that actually possible?
I think so.

Speaker 13 (56:17):
I mean, for us, we've got so big third in
our poolers Ireland, and so that's the first one for us.
You know, we also know that well England is, yes,
a very good team. Can there's also another great team
that we've had opportunity to play in the last few months,
and potentially we might have the opportunity to then play
a game before that, before that final. So I think

(56:37):
it is still a game by game approach, and while
some you can kind of thank that you'll most likely,
you know, get the dub, in some games, there's still
a lot of preparation as you look forward towards some
of those harder games and take those games game by game.

Speaker 2 (56:53):
Do you still feel the same excitement that a young girl, oh,
hey DeMont felt when you got off the plane and
got the text that day?

Speaker 12 (56:58):
Oh?

Speaker 13 (56:58):
I still do, and it's probably exacerbated by just the
magnificence of this event. I remember, you know, I recorded
back to the last World Cup team naming and not
even all the team was there, you know, it was
just another day. Our finos weren't there. And so the
time and the effort that's gone into making this particulars

(57:21):
what announcement the extra special. It does bring back those
feelings and emotions and excitement of being named for the
first time.

Speaker 2 (57:29):
For me, go, well, everybody is behind you. Thank you
so much, Jason DeMont. Hope you can hear okay over
the background music there, I think we got it. Okay.
That was a particular complication of the media segments of
the event yesterday was that they had the official part
when the team came in and up on the stage
and it was you know, it was very cool and

(57:51):
you know official sort of Q and A up on
the stage with Ricky Swanell, the you know, the best
women's rugby commentator going around, if hat one of the
best commentators full stop going around. She spoke to and
also a couple of the other players, coach Yellen Bunting
as well. And then when they broke up for our
chance to do media, they put the music on, So yeah,

(58:12):
I hope you could hear duahe and Ashia okay there
as you came to get your thoughts on, your expectations,
your hopes for the Black Ferns as they head off
to defend their World Cup title. We all remember that
magnificent night the back end of twenty twenty two. Remember
it was put off by a year. It was actually
the twenty twenty one Women's Rugby World Cup played in

(58:34):
twenty twenty two, and Joanna nan Wou winning that line
out right at the end, and the scenes of other
jubilation in front of a packed house at Eden Park.
They're not favorite this time, but they weren't then either.
I think England were favorite for that tournament as well
on home soil. Maybe that was what New Zealand needed

(58:56):
to get the job done that night. It's going to
be a heck of a lot harder to repeat that
dose at Twickenham. But what chance do you get them,
are you? I mean, it's still the way. We're probably
not going to get fully invested in this tournament until
they start playing. But you look at the squad that
was named yesterday, and the very fact that the main
talking point was the omission of Ruby Toohey shows just

(59:18):
how many potent outside backs we have playing women's rugby.
Now you look at the outside backs who were named
yesterday and you think who actually would drop out if
you wanted to get Ruby Towey in there. Poorsha Woodman
Wickliffe absolutely not. I mean, obviously you're not going to
drop her, Asha Letiainger, Caitlin Vaha, Acolo, Braxton Soarence and McGee,

(59:45):
this precocious young talent out of the Blues who was
terrific during Super Rugby OPICKI and has absolutely earned her spot.
And Renee Holmes this is the other one who's played
a lot of rugby for New Zealand and adds that
little bit of experience. So who would you have dropped
out if you were going to get ruby t who

(01:00:06):
were in there? I don't think you can drop any
of those five and those are the decisions that coaches
are paid to make. Oh eight hundred and eighty ten
out If you want to talk some black ferns, we
don't get the opportunity very often. We'll obviously focus fairly
closely on them when the tournament starts. But if you've
got any thoughts on your levels of optimism for this
black fern side as they head off to the UK

(01:00:27):
in a month or so to take on the world
and look to defend the Women's World Cup, love to
hear them. Oh eight one hundred eighty ten eighty nine
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Speaker 1 (01:01:45):
The Voice of Sport on your Home of Sport Weekend
Sport with Jason Vym and GJ. Gunn homes New Zealand's
most trusted OH Builder News.

Speaker 2 (01:01:54):
Talks be News Talks had been one thirty austrating correspondent
Adam Peacock before two talking some black ferns and keen
to hear your thoughts. On eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty A bunch coming through on text, which I'm going
to get to just in terms of what lies ahead
for the Black Ferns, their schedule for the World Cup.
The World Cup's are pretty simple format. There are sixteen

(01:02:16):
teams in four groups of four. You play everybody in
your group, so full round robin, so you play three
games and then the top through a top two in
each paul go through to the quarterfinals, semis and the final.
So in New Zealand's pool we have Ireland, Japan and Spain.
So Ireland, obviously, as a DeMont said, there are the

(01:02:39):
one who potentially present the biggest threat. There was a
game against Ireland. I'm just trying to remember when it
was where it was either a draw or they beat us.
Now they beat us at the back end of last
year twenty nine to twenty seven. Ireland beat us the
last time we played them, so they are absolutely not

(01:03:00):
a walk in the park. So Ireland are in our sites.
In terms of the schedule our Black Ferns, their first
game is against Spain four point thirty in the morning
that's New Zealand time, on Monday, August the twenty fifth.
A week later Japan at one o'clock in the morning
on Monday September first, and then a week after that

(01:03:21):
Ireland one forty five in the morning on Monday September
the eighth, So they're all sort of in the middle
of the night. But as Rickie Swinel said when she
was up on stage yesterday, am seeing this whole function.
Part of the tradition of watching our national teams is
getting up in the middle of the night with your
milo or whatever your fancy. So beyond the the pol

(01:03:42):
stages into quarters, semis and on towards hopefully a final,
and the final is at Twickenham. Regardless of who was
in it and the way the drawer is set up,
it is possible that New Zealand could face England in
the final of the Women's Rugby World Cup, as they
did at the back end of twenty twenty two on

(01:04:04):
that most memorable night. In terms of the final, the date,
it's at four o'clock in the morning on Sunday, September
twenty eight at Twickenham in London.

Speaker 11 (01:04:15):
Hello Kane, Bonnie, cons full of the Black fans, the cons.
I saw that Ireland game last year, mate, and they
got totally jackled off the ball from the Irish, So
we really got to tie up our jackling over the
ball because the Northern hemispheres had just got there over
the Southern hemisphere. Teams Regon Pros, Torchia Miller, Hew Good

(01:04:40):
and she she's awesome to watch man. She didn't work
it to watch Nemesis. The tomo of a funny feeling
the TMO is gonna come and spoil the party. He
did against Ireland in the game, they're particularly game. I
think we had about two or three tries backed up
because of the tomo, So look out for that space.
But Ruby Chilly, I think Caitlin, young Caitlin Varcolo she

(01:05:06):
missed last year against Ireland and I think it was Canada.
She has some pretty easy tackles. I'm thinking that might
be just a bit early for you, young Caitlan. I
hope she proves me wrong. But you know, mate, when
you listen to those stories and world sports, like, you know,
you get stories about Michael Jordan. You know, NBA players
talking about Michael Jordan, how how much of a dog

(01:05:26):
he was. He was an absolute dog on a tack
and defense. And that's what Ruby brings. He's a dog man.
She just gets in.

Speaker 1 (01:05:33):
She's a monk.

Speaker 11 (01:05:34):
She just gives you one hundred and fifty percent and
just bleeds for the jersey. Mate says she's a bit unlucky.
I hope hopefully she may get a call up. But
and then again, I hope Caitlin does prove me wrong
in Caitlan School's team tries again, thinking, man, that would
be bloody cool and uh, finally, finally, finally, what you're
gonna do? Maybe when the's six times world champions Blackburns

(01:05:57):
weren Wow, aren't you baby?

Speaker 6 (01:05:59):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:06:01):
I want to finished always theatrical with you, Mate, Thanks
and Date, I appreciate it. On Ruby Tooey, she could
easily have just not turned up yesterday because she's not
in the team, wasn't named in the team. But in
amongst the crowd there were members of the wider training
squad who have been involved in the build up to

(01:06:24):
the World Cup. Ruby Tooey was there. I could see her.
She was in the crowd and cheering as loudly for
those players as anyone else in that crowd. And there's
been suggestions, and I don't know where these have come from,
that there is some sort of personality clash when it

(01:06:45):
comes to Ruby Towey. She seems to me to be
the most inclusive, the most collegial, the most team focused
player I've ever seen. And yet she would have been
naturally disappointed not to be on the plane. Of course,
who wouldn't be. When you when you set your art

(01:07:06):
on something and then you don't hear your name called out,
of course you're going to be disappointed. But the mark
of Ruby Twey for me yesterday was the way that
she had this total team first mentality, whatever is best
for the team, and who knows injuries happen? You know
you only need one injury in those five players I

(01:07:28):
mentioned before, and Ruby Twey is next cab off the rank.
She's the next person on the plane. And history is littered,
littered with examples of players from outside squads, well outside squads,
coming in at vital moments and providing iconic memories for

(01:07:49):
us all jeep, as we had one a week ago
in Hamilton by the name of Stephen Donald. So who
knows what might happen when they when they get over there.
Back I'll back the black Fern, says Michael Nice and
Michael I enjoy getting your texts things. Indeed, a Lee
says it seems the way Henny know how to pivot

(01:08:13):
on the omission of Ruby history shows how legends old
or injured, bring true value. I love Ruby. S's a
gem I can really relate to. That's the other part
of this as well. And I'm not sure that there
is any room really for sentiment in selecting a squad.
But I often think when there's a squad going to

(01:08:33):
a tournament and this squad is thirty two, that's thirty
three with a non traveling reserve, but thirty two of
them will get over there, and all things being equal,
you'd have to think that that there will be players
who don't play, who don't get the opportunity because from
the start you really want you well, they've got six games,
three Paul games and then three knockout games, so it

(01:08:55):
might be that they as long as they can get
through the first game, because Ireland a third. That's the
difficulty in that they don't want to they can't sort
of rest people for the Ireland game because it comes third.
If that was the first game, they could put their
full team out there, win that and then against either
Japan or Spain they could give some of the others
a run. But they might not get the opportunity to
do that. It's a long win away of what the

(01:09:15):
point I was trying to make was you want the
people who aren't going to play to not be dropping
their lip, to not be sulking, to not be the
kind of player who wins. And I'm not saying by
any stretch that any of these players are that, but
I think when you select a squad for a tournament
often that has to come into the equation. The players

(01:09:38):
who are unlikely to get a game have to be
fully immersed in the squad itself. And the football example
of this is when you select a squad for a
World Cup, you take three goalkeepers. The third goalkeeper ninety
nine percent of the time doesn't play unless there are
two injuries to the blokes or the females in front.

(01:10:03):
So they have to be a certain type of person,
one who is going to be very team first. Just
before we move from the rugby, Caitlin vaha a Calop
is off to her first World Cup. She is one
of the outside backs, very excitable character. I found out
when I spoke to her yesterday about her inclusion.

Speaker 14 (01:10:23):
Oh my gosh, I think it's all hurting me now.
We actually found out a bit earlier that we had
made it. But I think being ham being about our
fine note is just really hitting me that we've done
it in we're hand. It's exciting.

Speaker 2 (01:10:33):
It's very exciting. And I look at the outside backs
on this team and man, there are some wheels out there,
there are some players out there. How do you feel
about being part of a really stacked kind of back
three in this team?

Speaker 14 (01:10:43):
Man, it's such a privilege and it's so cool being
able to learn from what who I think are the
best in the world. And I think it gives us
such healthy competition. We always want to bring up the
best in one another. I'm loving it, Yeah, I'm loving it.

Speaker 2 (01:10:54):
What about the blend in this team of youth and experience.
Some have been there before, you know, till with three
World Cups, Others who are hearing their name for the
first time today. What's it like inside the team? Is
there a nice blend there and that's the culture good
for that in that way?

Speaker 14 (01:11:08):
I think the diversity around that in our group is
really special. And I think we have that experience where
there's that calm, calmnessing and posion. Then we have the
young people who have. They been a saland excitement. So
I think having that altogether has actually really helped out thing,
Nick Moore, not just offielders us.

Speaker 12 (01:11:23):
So it's been really good.

Speaker 2 (01:11:24):
You lead the hacker up there. How special is that
for you?

Speaker 14 (01:11:28):
I think just doing the Hoker in general is special,
But it's such a privilege to do that on behalf
of our families, on behalf of our country, and on
behalf of all the support that we received. I think
that's just a reflection of how loved and caredful we are.
And yeah, it was a privilege for me to do.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
How big is your family been in this journey for you?

Speaker 14 (01:11:45):
Oh my gosh, They're the only reason that I have
been able to be here today. So my parents are
my biggest supporters. Whatever dream I have, whether it's crazy
or too much, they always support me and they just
want me to be happy. So I'm very very blessed.

Speaker 2 (01:11:56):
Well exciting time for you. Have you thought about what
it might be like to play in a World Cup final?

Speaker 14 (01:12:01):
No, Actually, the four years ago I was at a
World Cup, but I was at the League World Cup
and I didn't get select this on that phone, so
I was watching in the crowd, but it was such
a cool experience and yeah, whatever happens at the World Cup,
I'm just grateful to be here and I feel like, yeah,
there's just so much there's so much amazingness in this
group and I'm so glad I get to be a
part of it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:20):
That is Caitlin Colo, who, as you can probably hear there,
is fairly excitable, fairly enthusiastic, exuberant and the leader of
the haka. The last night up on the stage as
the team were presented to everybody at the venue. It
was already a really cool event and kudos to those
at New Zealand Rugby who were behind putting it on.

(01:12:40):
As Rue Dumont said, you know, last time they didn't
even get all the team together. You know, it wasn't
even an event. This time it was an event and
every single one of the thirty three players was there
with their family and it made it really really special.
Looking forward to seeing how they go nineteen away from two,
Let's take a break, come back and hit across the
Tasman Australian correspondent Adam Peacock.

Speaker 8 (01:13:02):
After this, the big.

Speaker 1 (01:13:04):
Issues on and after Fields Call eight hundred eighty ten
eighty Weekends Ford with Jason Time and GJ. Gunner Homes
New Zealand's most trusted home builder.

Speaker 11 (01:13:14):
News Talks, a BB.

Speaker 2 (01:13:15):
News Talks AB Weekend Sport. It's one forty four around
this time every Saturday afternoon. We have the pleasure of
the company of Australian correspondent Adam Peacock to talk Australian
sporting issues. Adam, thanks as always for joining us. Got
Warren Gatland on the show after two o'clock, former British
and Irish Lions coach, to talk about tonight's second test
MCG going to be a packed house, the Wallaby's one

(01:13:38):
down on the series. They need to win it to
keep it alive. How do you feel about the Wallaby's
chances of squaring the series at the MCG tonight.

Speaker 15 (01:13:48):
Yeah, I'm skeptical as you'd imagine. Yeah, the lot lines
defensively in that first hour.

Speaker 3 (01:13:56):
Last week.

Speaker 15 (01:13:58):
I was surprised how physical and how how much through
a dearth of Plan B we seem to have. As
the Wallaby, it was like, oh, we can't get through,
we can't get through. I will just kick it and
just pretty obviously I were trying to kick for field position,
and it kind of was ingrained in their brains to
the point where I don't know if you remember Harry
Wilson had an overlap and he just crossing half Pine

(01:14:21):
and he just decided.

Speaker 6 (01:14:21):
To kick it.

Speaker 15 (01:14:22):
I think it was just this subconscious taking over. So yeah,
I don't know how they get through the lines, because
getting around them won't be that easy because they're going
to be wet down in Melbourne tonight apparently, so all
things like very British Isles conditions, a cold wet night
in Melbourne ninety thousand. There probably a lot of them

(01:14:42):
lines fans. So I think everything's leading towards me saying
that I'm not expecting much. Fune Idy gleaned from that.

Speaker 2 (01:14:48):
No, I did glean that from that, But you're right
about the support. A friend of mine was in Brisbane
last weekend and he sent me a missa saying, I
cannot believe the number of Red Shirts around. I mean,
when the Lions come to a country, they all come,
they in their thousands.

Speaker 15 (01:15:03):
Yeah, yeah, and they provide some for the local economy
and the local rugby union economy as well. There's a
big conversation at the moment over here about how did
rugby union get out of this whole A quick history lesson.
I've spoke with someone from Rugby Australia this week that
Ruggy Australia is setting themselves up over the next two
to three years to capitalize on the financial gain of
having a British Narra's lines too and a World Cup

(01:15:26):
and then after the World Cup they can go right, Okay,
we've had this before two thousand and three. We had
a war chest that we wanted to siphon away from
the States that were just going to use them to
do whatever they wanted and set up a proper, proper
rugby fund that filters through to the pathways and get
that right. Any end, that money was squandered and that's

(01:15:46):
where Australian rugby I reckon has been paddling and for
some result is you just don't have the depth at
the top level because your pathways isn't right and rugby
league is cool foring the best kids at the school
boy level. Now, rugby Union, this is the long game
that they have to play that it's going to be
a decade long fixed but it starts now with this
infiltration of money from the lines to it and the
World Cup. That's the long game. In short, it means

(01:16:08):
that tonight nights like tonight could prove a little bit painful,
but just got to I think Rugby Australia has got
it in their heads now that they have to play
the long game and be smart about what this is
giving us, even though the results might not go our way.

Speaker 2 (01:16:22):
Yes, So I mean failures are any failures if you
don't arn the lesson. So do you feel like they
will learn the lessons of three and you know the
years after that?

Speaker 15 (01:16:29):
Well, they're idiotic if they don't. Yeah, because like history
that there's there's a templat there in history to tell
you the entire story. So and I've been told that
the people inside Rugby Australia have very much got it
inside their heads. But the States are all powerful and
the States see themselves that they're competing against each other,
where that to me is a strange model. Cricket's got

(01:16:50):
it right, whereas, yeah, the States want to beat each other,
but the overall aim is to produce players for the
international stage. Now, if Rugby can get that in their
heads and do it from the ground up, they're going
to be okay. Because there's enough talent over here, as
you'd know. So yeah, it's hat and once we've had
the riding in the fall, now we've got the opportunity
to have the rise again with knowing how to.

Speaker 4 (01:17:13):
Avoid the fall.

Speaker 15 (01:17:13):
So yeah, as I said, it's idiotic if they make
the same mistake twice.

Speaker 2 (01:17:17):
Let's hope that they don't do that and capitalize this time. Hey,
Sydney FC are reportedly keen to bring German football superstar
and World Cup one of Thomas Mueller to the A League.
He's played a thousand games for buying Munich. He's looking
for his next club. Has the story got any licks?

Speaker 15 (01:17:33):
Yeah, like it's a rumor. It sounds like Muller is
keen on the MLS and this might be the backup.
There is a link there. Alex Baumohanen, who played in
the Bundesliger, he know the representatives of Thomas Muller, who
probably knows him personally because he spent some time at
Bayern Munich himself. Muller the great personality, He's fantastic, speaks fantastic,
a great English, funny guy, a lot of life. I

(01:17:55):
just wonder, Okay, financially, how does this work because they've
already got Douglas cost or is this to set up
is this offer in relation to the fact that Douglas
Costa might not be at the club this season. We
haven't spotted him on the Australian soil yet. For the
upcoming season, he's not reported. I don't think he's reported
the pre season yet, but that's probably part of the deal.
But overall, like Sydney trying to produce all these players

(01:18:18):
and be financially sustainable, but then they go the sugar
hit again. You can maybe have one sugar hit if
you're Sydney a seed, but two at the same time.
I'm not sure that's completely viable. But in isolation, Muller
would be a fantastic addition to the A League because
he's still able, physically able, and he'd brings so much
personality to the league as well. And that cut through

(01:18:40):
that the league want so to tricky one to Sydney
of ceed the balance, but we'll wait and see.

Speaker 4 (01:18:43):
We will.

Speaker 2 (01:18:44):
Indeed, just before you go, one of your best road cyclists,
Ben O'Connor, won a stage on the Tour de France
during the week as second one. Actually, he'llso want to
stage back in twenty twenty one. I guess someone like
him does most of his best work when most of
us countrymen are asleep. There's been O'Connor, well known, widely
known in Australian sporting circles, not as much.

Speaker 15 (01:19:06):
As he should be, because doing things like this is
you know, he's got to claim through Europe and there'll
be millions and millions of people watching the end of
that stage the other night going wow, look at this
guy go. But back here in Australia there'll be tens
of thousands, if you know what I mean. It's not
their a lot. We're just besotted by We're going to
feast and the same over there. I mean, time zone wise,

(01:19:26):
we pay attention to what is on in our waking
hours and we get nocturnal when things get massive. And
the Tour de France isn't quite at that stage and
it's the second two stage win, which is not easy
to do. And he's obviously an extremely talented at the
top of the tree, and he's chosen sport. It's just
in cycling circles. I dare say he's top of the

(01:19:48):
pops in Australian cycling circles. And the guys that go
out for a road a road pedal and on a
Saturday morning and then just go and sit there and
take over your local cafe. But I'm sure over there
I was.

Speaker 2 (01:20:01):
Going to say, you've got them over there as well.

Speaker 15 (01:20:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, god, yeah yeah, all right, they're getting
out getting exercise. I do question some of them wearing
the like crub, but that's their personal choice. But yeah,
this guy is obviously great, but unfortunately he doesn't play footy,
so he's not an ousehold name no indeed.

Speaker 2 (01:20:20):
All right, Hey, good to chaut Australian sport with you
as always, Adam will do it again next week at
which dage. I hope this Lines Wallaby series are still
alive at one all I guess we'll have to wait
to find out tonight.

Speaker 15 (01:20:30):
You and me both fine, cheers mane.

Speaker 2 (01:20:31):
Thank you mate. That is Adam Peacock, our Australian correspondent,
as always on a Saturday afternoon. Actually just updating some
live Australian sport. The Australian cricket team are up against
the West Indies in the third T twenty International right now.
The West Indies bat at first two fourteen for four
just gone the halfway mark in Australia's chase. They're one
hundred and thirty three for four in the eleventh over

(01:20:54):
eighty two or fifty seven required, which is very manageable.
Tim David is out there unbeaten on fifty three off
sixteen balls. My god, fifty nine now off seventeen balls.
He's got three fours and seven sixers. What unbelievable. So

(01:21:17):
Australia cruising really with this bloke at the at the
wicket seven and a half to two.

Speaker 16 (01:21:21):
News Talks dB analyzing every view from every angle in
the sporting world weekends for it with Jason Pie they
call eight hundred and eighty News Talks.

Speaker 2 (01:21:31):
NB four and a half to two. So this bloke
Tim David always suspicious to someone who's got two Christian names.
But anyway, Tim David, he got to his fifty off
sixteen balls. That is a record for an Australian in
a T twenty international. Fifty off sixteen balls. He took
twenty eight off one over and there was a dot

(01:21:53):
ball in there of the unfortunate Goodakesh Moti. It went
four dot, sixty six sixty six. So Tim David, as
we speak to you right now. Is currently on sixty
of twenty one balls as Australia chase two hundred and
fifteen to beat the West Indies, they need sixty nine

(01:22:15):
or fifty one. Now, that's very manageable, very manageable. Indeed,
we'll keep.

Speaker 4 (01:22:18):
Us on off for you.

Speaker 2 (01:22:20):
After two. Warren Gatland going to join us. Looking forward
to chatting to Gatts as they call him. Former British
and Irish Lions coach, two tours Australia twenty thirteen here
twenty seventeen, former All Black Soker himself of course as well.
He's going to talk about tonight's second test to the
mcg Andrew Pragnell, CEO of New Zealand Football on the show,
and one of our great paralympians, Cam Lesley is also

(01:22:42):
going to join us and the case of Misted after two.

Speaker 1 (01:22:45):
The only place for the big names, the big issues,
the big controversies and the big conversations. It's all on
Weekend Sport with Jason Vain on your home of Sport
News Talk said been.

Speaker 2 (01:23:01):
Hello, seven past two. This is Weekend Sport until three.
I'm Jason Vine with Andy McDonald alongside Tim David. I
must have I never really heard of him. I think
I'd vaguely heard of his name. Eighty four not out
of twenty eight balls. He's not, unfortunately, going to get
the quickest ever T twenty international century. That honor will

(01:23:22):
stay with Sahil Shaohan twenty seven balls for Estonia against
Cyprus last year among Tier one nations. I'm just going
to scroll down here at David Miller off thirty five
balls South Africa of the Bangladesh and twenty seventeen, so

(01:23:43):
he could beat that. Tim David eighty four off twenty
eight balls, four fourth ten sixers and as you heard
in our sports news with Nathan the fastest ever T
twenty international fifty by an Australian sixteen balls this hour.
Warren Gatlin standing by the chat to US British and
Irish Lions coach twenty thirteen and twenty seventeen, what did

(01:24:06):
you make of the first Test last week between the
lines of twenty twenty five and the Wallabies and can
Australia bounce back tonight in Melbourne and take the series
to a Game three decider in Sydney in a week's time.
Warren Gatland shortly Andrew Pragnell, CEO of New Zealand Football,
on various round ball matters including the All Whites, the Football,
Ferns and Out, Tomesta Game and cam Leslie one of

(01:24:27):
our truly great Paralympians. He's off to the Paralympic World
champs in September. He's got fourteen at World Championship medals
as well as a bunch of Paralympic medals as well.
Is he going again in twenty twenty out? I think
he's already confirmed that he will anyway. Cam Leslie on
the show this hour as well. Your cause and correspondents
continue to be welcome of eight hundred and eighty ten

(01:24:50):
eighty on the phone, nine two nine two on text,
as we always do, though as we tick past nine
pass till it's time to catch you up with some
of the stuff that you may have missed over the
last twenty four hours or so, in case you missed it,
and a truly global look at sports on the Tour
de France, a massive effort from Tim and Ernsman to

(01:25:12):
hold off the leaders and win the nineteenth stage, his
second stage win on this year's tour, the Top of Laplania.

Speaker 10 (01:25:19):
The final Oars Catscree climb of this race, finger God
now starts to move.

Speaker 2 (01:25:24):
Can Aarronsman win the stage he's hanging on?

Speaker 17 (01:25:28):
Aronsman makes it to the top of Laplania and he
wins his second stage in this year's tit at Franz.

Speaker 2 (01:25:35):
How did he do that? Jowers, finger Guard and Tarde
Polgarcia finishing two seconds back. Per Garcia still with an
almost unassailable leave with only two stages to go at
Twell over four minutes to the NRL. The North Queensland
Cowboys beating the Dragons in an absolute points fest in
Townsville and now birds.

Speaker 10 (01:25:53):
On the chow attack.

Speaker 14 (01:25:55):
Perdu thus go the ra start Perdi plants it down.

Speaker 3 (01:26:01):
It's the Cowboys Knights in Townsville.

Speaker 2 (01:26:04):
Here winning at thirty eight to thirty two. Both memes
well outside the eighth though, the Eels meantime, pulling a
fast one over the Broncos.

Speaker 5 (01:26:12):
Oh and I for Takada Car fifty Just hadda CA's.

Speaker 7 (01:26:17):
Over, Just adda Carry's dancing Just shadow car.

Speaker 11 (01:26:23):
And how Amada back as fat.

Speaker 2 (01:26:26):
And holding on late to win. Twenty two twenty the
Eels and steal a one at sun Corp and eleventh
for Lillam Lawson in sprint qualification at the Formula One
events in Belgium. Oscar Piastree, continuing to show his class.

Speaker 17 (01:26:41):
For Stafford, snatches that provisional pole from Lando Norris, but
Oscar Pastree is looking very handy indeed to snatch it
back from the pair of them and does by nearly
half a second PS three on pol going walk better
than he did here in spring qualifying two years ago.

Speaker 1 (01:27:00):
Breaking down the Hail Mary's and the epic fails Weekend
Sport with Jason Nme News Talk Zenvy.

Speaker 2 (01:27:09):
News Talks herebing Weekend Sport eleven past two. The British
and Irish Lions will look to secure a series victory
over Australia with a game to spare when they face
the Wallabies in the Second Test at the Melbourne Cricket
Ground tonight. The lines of course winning the first Test
twenty seven to nineteen in Brisbane a week ago, and the.

Speaker 17 (01:27:26):
Lines stay unbeaten in Brisbane and put one hand I'm.

Speaker 2 (01:27:33):
A Tom Rich its job.

Speaker 6 (01:27:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:27:35):
A lines wind tonight would sew up the series with
a game to play. By contrast, an Australian win would
level the series at one all. The final Test is
in Sydney next Saturday night. Great pleasure to welcome in
British and Irish Lions coach on their twenty thirteen tour
of Australia and twenty seventeen tour to New Zealand, as
well as former Chiefs and Wales coach and former All

(01:27:56):
Blacks hooker Warren Gatland, who's involved in the television coverage
of this current tour. Larren, thanks for joining us on
Weekend Sport. Let's look back a week What stood out
most and the British and Irish lines win in Test
one in Brisbane?

Speaker 4 (01:28:09):
For you, I just thought the way.

Speaker 18 (01:28:12):
They dominated the first half. I just sort their collision stuff,
they go forward, territory and possession really kind of shut
Australia out in the firstuff and faelix Australia.

Speaker 4 (01:28:22):
They are a lot better in the second half, but
I felt that the game was.

Speaker 18 (01:28:25):
Kind of had gone by then, so I was, you know,
I was impressed with them, you know, particularly upfront dominating.

Speaker 4 (01:28:33):
Probably that Australian food pack.

Speaker 2 (01:28:35):
How much improvement do you think there is in this
line side?

Speaker 4 (01:28:41):
That's interesting.

Speaker 18 (01:28:41):
It's always this has been It would have been a
tough week for them because they've had that game on
Tuesday against the First Nations team, so they sort of
mixing and match and bought some players in and you're
trying to prepare for that. You're trying to give the
players that sort of belief that a good performance and
they play well, they've got a chance to be selected

(01:29:02):
in the in the in the Test, so they know
that's a challenge. And then you're also trying on your
mind trying to prepare the Test team to get them
ready for seven night too. So it's a tough week.
But I felt that they have improved from the pre
tour game against Argentina and they've got better. Obviously, some

(01:29:23):
of the combinations are working quite well, and there's a
lot of competition release forwards that've picked up a few injuries.
So I think it's Tralily going to be absolutely desperate.

Speaker 6 (01:29:32):
You know, they want to.

Speaker 18 (01:29:34):
They want to tie the series and go to Sydney
hopefully for a decider. The great thing about winning the
first tests is that you know that you're there right
until the end anyway.

Speaker 2 (01:29:44):
Indeed, so three changes to the line starting fifteen seven
to the twenty three for the second Test tonight a couple,
as you mentioned, injury enforced Joe McCarthy, SIONI twep a
lot who both injured, Olie Chesham, Bundy k and also
Andrew Porter comeing. Is that kind of what you expected
that barring those injuries it would be a fairly settled
line sight.

Speaker 4 (01:30:05):
Yeah. I didn't speak too many changes.

Speaker 18 (01:30:07):
I think that the word was that it was going
to be Archy and ring Rows in the midfield. Ring
Ros was pulled out. You know, he's had a couple
of head knocks and stuff, So you know, maybe one
or two changes, three changes, It's it's quite a number
of changes. But there's been a lot of competition on
this tour and I think for Australia, you know, they've

(01:30:30):
got to dominate somewhere. And I thought that First Nations
team there was a couple of areas. I thought they
were quite good at the breakdown, they had a couple
of turnovers even though they earned a lot of pressure
in that first half.

Speaker 4 (01:30:40):
I thought the scrum went well.

Speaker 18 (01:30:41):
They got a couple of scrumpen leies and they defeated
aggressively at the back and then shut the lines down
at time.

Speaker 4 (01:30:46):
So you know there's there's areas of.

Speaker 18 (01:30:48):
This game where you want to have some sort of
dominance and I didn't feel, you know, apart from the
aspects of the second half, that Australia really had that
in the first Test.

Speaker 2 (01:30:57):
Yeah, I think most people expected more from them. Did
you did you think they would be better from the
first worst the lass you say they kind of came
right in the second half, But did you expect more
from the Wallabies from the start?

Speaker 18 (01:31:12):
Well, I think it's been one of the things that
the lines have done. They defended really well there. I mean,
the forced teams back. The teams haven't really had a
lot of go forward against him. And I thought in
the second Test when Australia started to pick and go
a little bit, they McDermott came on and caused a
little bit of damaged sort of snipping around the fringes

(01:31:33):
and they got a little bit of go forward and
then probably in that second half they you know, they
had you know, a lot better performance. And I think
there's something that Skelton come in and.

Speaker 4 (01:31:42):
That'll suit his game. Val and Tim.

Speaker 18 (01:31:44):
He's always really direct in the way that he that
he carries in Pereki as well up front. Yeah, so
I think there'll be a lot more direct, you know,
particularly around the fringes, you know, tonight for the game
and and looking forward to it.

Speaker 2 (01:31:59):
Tomliner retains the team jersey. It's a bit of a
baptism of fire, isn't it for a young player, even
though he's got a very say, a famous surname. Do
you think there would have been any temptation, Warren from
Joe Schmitt to give James O'Connor the ten jersey.

Speaker 4 (01:32:15):
Yeah, possibly, or maybe some time.

Speaker 18 (01:32:17):
But you know, sometimes when you make a call like that,
you've got to stick with it because then you're just
going to completely knock his confidence and that he would
have learned a huge amount from as a young player
sort of playing at a level and experience the pace,
the intensity and the physicality of his first start and
they come off the bench a couple of times and stuff.
But so I think as a coach often you make

(01:32:42):
those big calls and then you've just got to stick
with them. And then and maybe you know the thing
with Joe and Australia and know the lines toward is important,
but they're also in the back of them want to
potentially thinking a couple of years time with the World
Cup and developing players for that toom making sure that
it's going to be really important for Australian rugby two.

Speaker 2 (01:33:02):
So since the Lines have arrived in Australia, they've won
all seven matches. No Line inside has gone unbeaten overseas
on a tour since nineteen seventy four in South Africa.
How big an incentive would that provide the Lines an
unbeaten time on Australian soil.

Speaker 18 (01:33:19):
Oh, I think that would be massive, you know, it
to be huge for them, it would be I know
how disappointed they were with the game in Dublin. It's
before they before they're left. But to go and defeate
it on a tour, you know, it's incredibly tough because
I don't think people always realize, you know, how difficult
it is to bring a Lions tecking together. When you're

(01:33:40):
bringing the players from four nations and you have a
few weeks preparation and you're playing, you're trying to mix
a match, you're playing two games a week, you're in
and out hotels and traveling, and you're playing away from
home against you know, normally one of the best teams
in the world and so it's a massive challenge. So
if they're able to do that, it would be be
a huge coupe for this Lion team. I think it's

(01:34:02):
going to be a huge part of your motivation in
terms of trying to when that seat and test and
definitely go undefeated.

Speaker 2 (01:34:08):
What are the best strategies for navigating the challenges you
just outlined there? Bringing everybody together, short space of time,
highly motivated opposition who only really get one chance in
their career to play the lines. How do you navigate
those challenges as a coach and as a management team.

Speaker 18 (01:34:23):
Yeah, that's always the real challenge. And I speak to
a lot of people who had been on previous tours
and probably the common vene that came back to me
was the rugby kind of took care of itself. It
was trying to make sure that harmony off the field
was as good as it could be. And it's one
of the things that I did, And it doesn't always

(01:34:45):
help with your preparation. And if you're in the back
of your mind and you're thinking about combinations and test matches,
is sort of saying to the players, you know, everyone
would get a start in the first.

Speaker 4 (01:34:55):
Three games and if you're a player and you're on tour.

Speaker 18 (01:34:57):
And the coach says you're going to get a start,
and you think, if I play well and the team
plays well, now maybe there's an opportunity for me to
be selected in the test side of the starting seen
all the twenty three and that kind of I found
that was really really positive for the group feeling everyone
felt like that had an opportunity that they've been in
the shop window, you know. So like I said, it's

(01:35:18):
not always the easiest thing to.

Speaker 3 (01:35:20):
Do, but.

Speaker 18 (01:35:22):
You know you've got to try and really get those things.
And you know, having a few nights out together as
a team, you know, particularly early on, you know, a
couple of quiet ones to sort of bring everyone together
as always as a real positive as well. And they
would have done lots of things with committees and you know,
having sly things in terms of everyone being involved, and

(01:35:45):
I'm sure Andy would have done a really good job
in terms of trying to facilitate that all.

Speaker 2 (01:35:50):
Right back to tonight to finish, can you see Australia
improving enough to take this to a third test?

Speaker 6 (01:35:57):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (01:35:57):
I think they have to.

Speaker 18 (01:35:58):
I think that the deskine I can remember back in
twenty thirteen, and the emotion afterwards that the Australian players,
James Fall and that sort of expressed and released they
were so desperate to win their second Test and they're
going to be absolutely desperate tonight. So and it's probably

(01:36:21):
in the backs of the minds that they are the
desperate ones Australia.

Speaker 4 (01:36:24):
The Lions know they've kind of sort of a get
out of.

Speaker 18 (01:36:27):
Jail cut, if you know what I mean in terms
of I'm sure that they won't want to use that,
but it's a testament.

Speaker 4 (01:36:35):
It's rugby.

Speaker 18 (01:36:35):
Even in a season, it's really really difficult to be
on that absolute mental edge and peak game after game
after game, and so I think Australia, you know, that's
definitely where they have to be.

Speaker 4 (01:36:46):
But you know, it's a really strong Lions team.

Speaker 18 (01:36:49):
And looking forward to what's going to be hopefully you're
really entertaining and you really really exciting encounter.

Speaker 2 (01:36:57):
Yeah, let's hope. So, Larren really appreciate you joining us
with your insight and expertise. Thanks for your time this
afternoon on ZB.

Speaker 4 (01:37:04):
Cheers, Cheers, Bunny, thank you, Jee.

Speaker 2 (01:37:05):
Thank you, and Warren Gatlin. They're out of Melbourne where
he's part of the television commentary team for tonight's second
Test Australia British and Irish Lions. Mcg vearying reports, what
was the placehold? One hundred thousand over ninety thousand? Anywayre
going to be there, You have to think it will
get pretty close to capacity, just as an indication of
the favoritism here on our tab. The British and Irish

(01:37:28):
lines are paying a dollar twenty two Australia four dollars
twenty but they will be desperate they have to win
to keep the series alive. But the British and Irish line,
certainly last week it didn't feel to me anyway got
out a third gear and winning that. So it's going
to take a big upswing in the fortunes of Australian
rugby if they're going to take this to a serious

(01:37:48):
decider in Sydney A week from now News talks here
being weekend Sport to twenty two. When we come back,
it's Andrew Pragnell, CEO of New Zealand Football, talking all whites,
talking football, ferns, talking domestic stuff, a wide range of topics.
To chat to the head of New Zealand football about
when we come back on weekend sport be into in
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Speaker 1 (01:38:59):
One crutch Hold engaged weekends for us with Jason Pain
and gj Gunno.

Speaker 6 (01:39:06):
New Zealand's was Trustino Milder News talk.

Speaker 2 (01:39:09):
To twenty six. Great to welcome in New Zealand Football
CEO Andrew Pregnell for a bit of a chat about
all things football. Andrew, thanks for joining us. Less than
eleven months to go now until the FIFA Men's World Cup.
The All Whites of course will be there. We know
they're going to play Australia home and away in September.
There's also a confirmed fixture against Norway in October. So

(01:39:32):
will the All Whites play a second game in that
October window and will they also play a couple of
games in November? Is that confirmed?

Speaker 4 (01:39:39):
Absolutely?

Speaker 10 (01:39:40):
So, there'll be a second game in Europe announced very
shortly and in November definitely, So a couple of really
high profile games hopefully announced those in the next month,
and some of the best opposition we've ever played, and
actually when we reflect back on post twenty six, hopefully
it's a successful World Cup we go to. But I
think we'll look at in terms of the matches and

(01:40:01):
we played in the lead up to be the best
the All Whites have ever had exposure to.

Speaker 2 (01:40:05):
There are windows in of course in March of next
year and then just before the World Cup starts in June.
Have you got plans to have any sort of scend
off game for the team perhaps in that March window.

Speaker 10 (01:40:17):
That's a really interesting one. So the drawer for the
World Cup is so important for us for obvious reasons,
both in terms will be located. A lot of Kiwis
will be interested in that because I hope a lot
of your listeners are thinking maybe about traveling to that
World Cup, but obviously in different playing styles. So the
next year, yep, you're right, we've got a window in
March and potentially up to three games in the pre

(01:40:38):
World Cup release period. We'd love to do it enough, Certainly,
paramount in our decision will be performance, so we'll be
looking at particularly playing styles against the types of teams
that we've drawn to the World Cup, and so that'll
take precedence over obviously specific seen off games.

Speaker 4 (01:40:57):
But we'd love to do it.

Speaker 10 (01:40:58):
If we can get the right sort of opposition down
here that they're going to give us a performance advantage
and play them at home, there'll be a double whaming
and we'd love that.

Speaker 2 (01:41:04):
What are your hopes for the your whites of the
World Cup next year.

Speaker 10 (01:41:08):
Absolutely they are capable of getting into knockout stages. You know,
I've just seen them beat the African champions Ivory Coast,
which are the sort of opposition they'll be playing at
the World Cup. They took Ukraine to the next mil
and I think I hope that over the next eleven
months in the leading to the Cup.

Speaker 4 (01:41:25):
Was including some more wins.

Speaker 10 (01:41:26):
So that's totally capable of that. And you know, as
we know, knockout football after that, anything's possible, but certainly
breaking new grounds. You know that twenty ten World Cup
lives in all Kiwi's minds for lots of reasons. They
set the bar. The bar has always got to be raised.

Speaker 2 (01:41:43):
In terms of how they'll sort of move around the
United States or Canada or Mexico next year. Andrei, I
guess do you just have to wait to see where
they are placed in the drawer before you start working
on locations, whether they'll fly in and out of games,
where they'll base themselves, that sort of thing.

Speaker 10 (01:42:02):
Yeah, there are so many permutations, one hundred and four games,
forty eighteen sixteen host cities, so we can we're doing
a bit of analysis now, so we know, roughly across
all of the different draws, with the possible locations we could,
you know, the general rule of sort of three general
zones split across Canada, USA and Mexico and East Coast

(01:42:25):
and West Coast and the central zone. The general rule
of farmers that whatever you draw, you wouldn't be flying
more than four hours to get to your next game.
And we have to go through a process of FIFA
to determine our base camp, which is competitive process too,
So we're doing the analysis. We've definitely got some a
few preferred options, I think jimerally speaking from a key
weak perspective. Obviously there's going to be a bit less

(01:42:47):
cost if we're down the West coast here, you know, Vancouver,
San Francisco and LA. But there are a lot of
different ways this could play out, and we'll know that
in the first week of December.

Speaker 2 (01:42:57):
All right, looking forward to the drawer and seeing just hoo,
the all whites are drawn against, and then I guess
planning can begin an earnest for you and for as
you say, any fans who want to get across and
support the team. What about the football Ferns, Andrew, I
can't see any fixtures confirmed for them or will they
play again in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 10 (01:43:15):
Absolutely, yep. A little bit of change in the women's calendar,
which is actually a good change. So there's been a
creation of a three match window now in October, so
starrtally those are always just two games. Obviously, we've spend
a lot of money traveling around the world with our
teams and so you've got to get more games in
a window is better efficiencies ultimately for us. So they'll
have at least five more games in the year. So yeah, Look,

(01:43:38):
they've made a good start in the maining I think,
you know, beating some we know quite a different shape team.
He's self seen on the impact of the Wellington Phoenix
women's team and other development. If it's coming to fruition,
which is fantastic. You can start to see a lot
of young players coming through. That reasonable results in TEMs
getting wins against Costa Rica in Venezuela. So yes, five

(01:44:00):
more tough games, maybe one more at home. I think
we'd really hope to get them back home this year.
We'd a team pull out on us and obviously we're hosting.
I mean, this one's come around so quick, but we're
hosting the semifinal in the final of the Women's World
Cup qualifiers in New Zealand and April next year, which
I think is possibly the first time we've done that
as well, So another sort of breakthrough moment.

Speaker 2 (01:44:22):
I guess we're about halfway between World Cup cycles or
World Cups, aren't we twenty twenty three? The next one
in twenty twenty seven. So here we are mid twenty
twenty five. How do you evaluate where the football ferns
are at this point in the World Cup cycle.

Speaker 10 (01:44:34):
Yeah, it's a good question, and it's a trick slightly
tricky one, and the women's football is moving so quickly
in terms of what we once saw. I think is
quite a gap between the top twenty and the next forty.
I'd say the top fifty. If you look at the
quality of some of the results and you see teams
like Panama and they're like starting to get results against
top twenty teams, it's changing so quickly. So look, I

(01:45:00):
think we've got to look at the age profile of
our team. We've got a lot of new players and
a lot of younger players and something, you know, reflections.
I think if you were to look back at the
turns over the last fifteen years is there probably wasn't
enough transitioning of players. You know, we relied on such
a small group who accumulated a huge number of caps,
but we didn't have the depth. So that Wellington Phoenix

(01:45:22):
women's team as a set of has made a huge
difference and actually an Auckland FC women's team we'll double that.
We'll double that effort again. So I still think we've
got great quality players and the types of you know,
the types like like Kate Taylor who quickly matured through
the Phoenix and has quickly gone off to Europe. So
I still think they'll be living twenty seven. But as

(01:45:43):
we look at the age profile of the group, I
think that actually it's a long the market two so
they can they could get out of a group from
twenty seven. But we need to look at we need
to start planning.

Speaker 6 (01:45:52):
Along with looking one as well.

Speaker 2 (01:45:54):
Can ask a couple of questions about the community game
football now the biggest participation team sport in New Zealand.
How will you go about continuing to increase your numbers,
particularly junior um us.

Speaker 10 (01:46:07):
Yeah, look, I think there's a couple of things that
play there one is. I mean, the success of the
game at grassroots is just phenomenal. Huge thank you to
our volunteer base, the people who run clubs every weekend,
the mums and dads who coach and managed teams. You know,
football's greatest asset is its people and its club network.
Four hundred and thirty clubs going bank gang busters. Our

(01:46:29):
probably our biggest challenges to growth at this stage are
now you know, and we're lucky. I always say to everyone,
our problem is a good problem. We're dealing with, you know,
a huge demand and so our problem is supplied to Tickley.

Speaker 4 (01:46:43):
Fields and our urban areas.

Speaker 10 (01:46:44):
And also being sure our volunteers continue to get reward,
rewarded and recognized.

Speaker 4 (01:46:49):
You know, I think we are.

Speaker 10 (01:46:50):
We already have in some urban areas clubs with waiting lists.
So I think the next to the strategic cycle, we're
going to have to put a lot of emphasis and
some advocacy and lobby into our local and central government
to ensure our kids got places to spak to play.
You know, if you ask what wakes me up at night,
that's a real concern we you know, in my opinion,

(01:47:12):
sport gives New Zealand the greatest, single biggest return on
its investment and every rest of the life from terms
of wellbeing. Football does that in spades through team cohesion
and personal individual well being vos physical and mental, and
it's it's a single best area where the government and
lot of government can get their returns. So we need
we need to engage in them and a lot more
because we need more fields. So that's huge. The whole

(01:47:35):
of football plan is undergoing a review. Obviously that's been
one of the most successful parts of the game, the
way in which it's played. You know, that's now fifteen
years old.

Speaker 2 (01:47:44):
It makes me feel bit old thinking that, indeed.

Speaker 3 (01:47:48):
When you can remember when it was launched.

Speaker 10 (01:47:50):
But but you know, reviewing that so a little bit
of a few changes the game it's been really wildly successful,
but updating that a bit. So we had a lot
of investment going down into new formats for the game,
not wild changes, it's an evolution, not a reval, but
resourcing those changes and making sure there's goalposts. But yeah,
and then making sure our coach education, our referee education,

(01:48:12):
and all those people who volunteer space keep getting recognized
for their efforts because without volunteers we don't exist.

Speaker 2 (01:48:19):
And at senior level, I believe you're currently in the
process of assessing domestic competitions just to make sure they're
sets a purpose. What does that work involve.

Speaker 10 (01:48:27):
Yeah, so that's huge obviously at the top of our
competition pathway is really important, especially to our big clubs. Equally,
it plays a critical role in talent development. We made
some huge changes out of back of COVID. You know,
we went from a sort of franchise model it was
disconnected from the game on the men's side, and we

(01:48:48):
went from a federation based team on the women's side,
and we've shifted both towards the club based competition. But
there's a real desire from our clubs, I believe to
see that to continue to evolve. The big discussion points
are really around can we do a full end to
end winter season, club based winter season for men and
women At the moment, the formats are slightly different and

(01:49:12):
are we ready for that? And I know, speaking broadly
from perspective, there's a strong desire from our clubs to
move in that direction. Because the current season is a
little bit long. We're playing in the men's side regional
phases and then into national phases and when you add
in our Chatham Cups and our Kate Shepherds as well,
it's a very very long season, so a higher quality

(01:49:33):
season that's potentially sort of double round type scenario. So
that gets people excited because the quality just keeps improving.

Speaker 2 (01:49:41):
Look forward to the outcomes on that and to finish
the A League. Auckland FC, by every metric made a
massive impact on the A League in their inaugural season.
We're looking forward to their women's team when that arrives
as well, and of course the new A League season
not too far away. Do you think New Zealand could
sustain a third A League site?

Speaker 4 (01:50:00):
One hundred percent.

Speaker 10 (01:50:01):
Not only do I think we could, but we have
to have one in my perspective, and that's talking I
guess from a geography perspective, population perspective, but absolutely we could.
And you know, for me, there's two kind of critical
elements in getting that club up and running. It has
you know, naturally in the South Island serving thing the

(01:50:22):
whole South Island where it's based out of Christ Church
of Dunedin. Both great stadiums there. But the two key bits,
and that one is infrastructure. Christ Church is probably going
to land the best stadium in the country, so that's
that's a good start, and Forsyth Bar actually is held
up really well as well. And then making sure we
get the right ownership group and you're right, orkanef CE
success has been phenomenal and you know that ownership group

(01:50:46):
has been a key part of that. Obviously, the you know,
the Lock owners in terms of Anna and Ali's contribution
has been enormous and then of course Bill's knowledge of
being a multi club football owner has been enormous too
and the willingness to really invest has reaped dividends for them.
So it's a must, it's an absolute must. We've got
a really good relationship with Football Australia. The A League

(01:51:07):
are looking to expend or shift shift their composition, so
you know there's been no agreement struck, but you know
the AWKAF has been a massive asset to the A League,
so you know that that is encouraging if we want
to expand further into New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (01:51:22):
Indeed, it is lots on your plate as always, Andrew,
appreciate you taking the time for a chat.

Speaker 10 (01:51:27):
Today, fantastic thanks having me by.

Speaker 2 (01:51:29):
Nick go well now you go, well to Andrew. Thanks
indeed Andrew Pragnell, CEO of New Zealand Football, joining us
for a chat on a wide range of things, speaking
of football domestically Chatham Cup quarter finals this weekend Western
Suburbs and Wellington Olympic playing a Wellington Derby at Endeavor
Park and Pottydoer in Wellington's Northern Suburbs. Nine minutes to
go until halftime, goalless between Western Suburbs and Wellington Olympic

(01:51:53):
twenty one to three. We'll come back shortly and chat
to one of our great paralympians who's still got more
gas in the tank? Cam Lesley?

Speaker 1 (01:51:59):
After this, would you be the TMO have your say
on eighty eight Weekends Sport Jason Hine and GJ. Guvnerholmes,
new Zealand's most trusted home builder News Talks.

Speaker 2 (01:52:11):
They'd be always great to get the chance to chat
with one of our greatest paralympians. World record holder, three
time Paralympic gold medalist and the men's individual medley one
fifty meter SM four Cam Leslie.

Speaker 8 (01:52:23):
Leslie and Suzuki No forging ahead, very strong, indead keep
an eye on the clock here thirty seven or.

Speaker 1 (01:52:29):
Two for Leslie.

Speaker 8 (01:52:30):
Honey has taken it in the heat thirty six point
seven five. Cameron Leslie has taken a world record in
the heat Son.

Speaker 13 (01:52:38):
If that doesn't send the message to the rest of
the field, I don't know what does.

Speaker 2 (01:52:42):
Cam Lesley is off to his eighth World Power Swimming
Championships in September, looking to add to his fourteen World
Championship medals. Cam, thanks for joining us. We spoke around
Easter when you were about to head to Japan to
train with one of your greatest rivals, take Yuki Suzuki.
So how did it go over there?

Speaker 6 (01:53:04):
Yeah, no, it was good.

Speaker 8 (01:53:05):
He it does things quite differently to me, a very
traditional approach to how they do things. And yeah, I
guess it's kind of good because we're going down the
avenue sort of trying to be quite different with our
training style. So it was quite refreshing just to sort
of see that they are still doing quite a traditional approach.

Speaker 6 (01:53:22):
But yeah, awesome, Like, man, I felt young again for
a week.

Speaker 8 (01:53:25):
I went hard on all the training and then and
then I blew up towards the end.

Speaker 2 (01:53:29):
I was like, man, I'm shit, So did you bring
back some lessons? Are you going to revert back to
a more traditional type of training as you work towards events,
or were you just sort of pick and choose some
of the things you're picked up over there.

Speaker 8 (01:53:44):
N So we sort of leaned into a bit of
their technology and a little bit of their analysis side
of things that really gave us the takeaways from it.
Fifty minute pool with like not a centimeter of uncovered
by a camera footage, so we had that every single saying,
every single training session, so sixteen seventeen trainings worth camera
footage review. We really got to nail down on technique

(01:54:06):
stuff that we're either lacking or have done better previously,
or because I don't race Tucker in fifty meters backstroke,
he was his coach was more than happy to give
me his insights into my backstroke style and technique and
things like that. So we came home with probably a
good maybe six or seven like points in terms of
just to sort of clarify what we're doing in certain races.

(01:54:27):
You know, we tried different starts and things like that,
and we're getting half a second improvement.

Speaker 4 (01:54:31):
Just off a dive.

Speaker 8 (01:54:32):
So those are quite like massive things when you're talking
the focus of a fifty three style fifty.

Speaker 2 (01:54:36):
Backstroke absolutely, so did any of its surprise you came
when you saw the footage, did you think, oh, man,
I didn't know I was doing that or not doing that.

Speaker 8 (01:54:45):
I not necessarily surprised me in terms we didn't know
I was doing it. I knew I was doing it,
but I didn't know the the I guess. So a
good example of doing backstroke and a flume. So flume,
you know, rotating water, you're swimming on the spot. You
got camera angles left right, center, so we said it's
the world record pace.

Speaker 4 (01:55:01):
And we went.

Speaker 6 (01:55:02):
We were cranking through it.

Speaker 8 (01:55:04):
And the one body movement I do with my lead
in terms of a kick, what that did in terms
of offsetting my body position in the water was quite drastic.

Speaker 6 (01:55:12):
So when you I kicked, we thought it was a
good thing because you're moving water, you're creating or for pulption.

Speaker 8 (01:55:17):
However, what it did in terms of the negative of
changing body position, we didn't realize it was quite that extreme.
So that was really that's probably a really good example
in terms of we had absolute awareness, but in terms
of the severity of that change, we didn't have that.

Speaker 2 (01:55:31):
How difficult or not is it to change habits that
you know, change techniques that you've perhaps been doing for
quite some time. How challenging is it to change those
those or even make those small tweaks.

Speaker 8 (01:55:44):
So I've learned this throughout my career that to me,
I say easy because I'm engaged with my brain.

Speaker 6 (01:55:49):
I'm very body aware. I know, I'm very aware of where.

Speaker 4 (01:55:52):
My body is in space.

Speaker 8 (01:55:53):
So easy ish for me, but for others very hard
to break a long standing sort of technique that's been
ingrained into your right.

Speaker 6 (01:56:00):
But for me it's been really easy.

Speaker 8 (01:56:03):
We've been very conscious. It sort of helped me have
a better body position and how mccore up a bit better. Like,
I'm very aware of what I'm doing in the water,
So for me, not very different, not very difficult, but
it is.

Speaker 4 (01:56:13):
Usually quite a hard thing to do.

Speaker 2 (01:56:15):
So a couple of months out from the World Champs
in September, how do you reckon your tracking? How are
you feeling good?

Speaker 8 (01:56:20):
Yeah, well, a little bit sick at the moment, but yeah,
that's all just yeah, it's gone and gone on a
floody good in a.

Speaker 6 (01:56:26):
Good gym session or a good swim right.

Speaker 7 (01:56:29):
Now?

Speaker 6 (01:56:30):
Yeah, really good tracking?

Speaker 8 (01:56:31):
Really, And I see we've had some good race results
this year pre going to Japan and the post Japan
racing out in Zee Championships. So yeah, some really good results,
looking really good in terms of where we're tracking towards it.
So excited to race, Excited to sort of, I guess
get even a little bit really right now, I'm sitting
world number one and number world number one until my races,

(01:56:53):
so like looking good versus the competitors. However, that's not
the that's not the clinical for the year. So yeah,
things they're looking good.

Speaker 2 (01:57:01):
Just clarify which events you're racing in in Singapore.

Speaker 6 (01:57:04):
Fifty three style on hundred freestyle and to me this backstroke.

Speaker 2 (01:57:07):
All right, so you're fourth in the men's fifty three
and men's fifty back in Paris, narrowly missing a metal
in both. I remember you said to me you didn't
want to finish your Olympic career with a couple of fourths.
How are you tracking for LA? Do you feel like
you're on target? I know it's a long way away,
but I know you planned things metronomically. How are you
tracking towards LA?

Speaker 6 (01:57:26):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:57:26):
Good?

Speaker 8 (01:57:27):
I mean this year because of the sore loser last year,
I come back and then we're really sort of shaken
things up and we're doing things now very purposely for
la SO. Changes that we're making in terms of us
at home, you know, moving house, moving off farm and
stuff like that to allow that to happen, but also
what we've been looking into it to sports science stuff

(01:57:48):
this year through New Zealand, at high performance sport in
New Zealand, through nutrition, and it's all to feed a
bigger picture towards la SO.

Speaker 4 (01:57:56):
I say, tracking really good.

Speaker 8 (01:57:57):
We haven't made massive changes this year in some spaces,
but we're gathering data insights to track versus performance in
Singapore and then look to make post Singapore looking forward
to Europeans next year in World's Year out, Yeah, looking
forward to out essentially outstanding.

Speaker 2 (01:58:13):
Well, I've got you your day job disability and pair
of swimming participation manager for Swimming New Zealand. What takes
up most of your time in that role.

Speaker 6 (01:58:21):
Trying to find the next version of me and Dame
Pasco and.

Speaker 2 (01:58:25):
Yeah, how's that going? How's that going? Are they coming from?

Speaker 4 (01:58:28):
They are?

Speaker 2 (01:58:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:58:29):
I mean that's the thing.

Speaker 8 (01:58:30):
I've been doing this row six or seven years now,
and when I started, we couldn't have told you who
was our sort of prospects for the next two games.

Speaker 6 (01:58:37):
Where is now?

Speaker 8 (01:58:37):
I can pretty comfortably tell you who's looking good for
twenty eight and twenty twenty thirty two games in terms
of who are I doing and seeing coming through, Which
is amazing really to have that.

Speaker 6 (01:58:48):
Far forward in the future.

Speaker 8 (01:58:49):
And I mean, that's what my job is all about,
is trying to establish those pathways for them and work
with the club coaches feed not only like that's the
only the like the competitive piece.

Speaker 6 (01:58:59):
There's a whole heap of spasion project which are really cool.

Speaker 8 (01:59:02):
That we've got going on that is a little bit
more just around like the therapeutic side of being in
the water and creating relationships people with compeerment and being
in the water and I guess finding a space or
a sport or a sensory experience that is for them.

Speaker 2 (01:59:18):
How can you tell so far out whether a swimmer
has what it takes to be a successful twenty thirty
two Olympian or even a twenty twenty eight Olympian. I mean,
obviously you can look at their technique in the way
that they move through the water, but how can you tell,
you know, from a mental point of view, that someone
has what it takes.

Speaker 8 (01:59:38):
You've got your dirty old statistical tracking stuff that says
they're in a really good position now versus what the
world's standards are. So that like that's a dirty or
performance marker, right. But then there's uncoachables. You know, are
they driven, do they turn up? Are they always seeking more?

Speaker 4 (01:59:54):
You know it?

Speaker 8 (01:59:54):
Does their age plan to it? What are their performance behaviors?
Are they with good clubs like that sort of Stuff's
the uncoachables.

Speaker 6 (02:00:02):
Do they have a desire? Is it actually what they
want to achieve?

Speaker 8 (02:00:05):
Because there's so many people who have the dream of
going to Olympics or Parallemic Games, And I mean to
put a blunt there, it's just words. You've got to
have action by in it. So probably what I'm trying
to say is that these people actually do have a
bit of action to them at these early stages and
are tracking nicely on a performance marker as well.

Speaker 2 (02:00:21):
Do you often do you see a little bit of
your younger self and some of these younger swims totally.

Speaker 8 (02:00:26):
I see my parents and a lot of the parents
I work with as well. You know, they used to
have to put in the fight, and that's sort of
what my job's there for is to remove that fight
for them and show that it's a you know, it's
a sport pathway in a program, a space that is
actually welcoming of impairment, and if you've got an issue,
you just take it up the same way you would
with any other club swimmer.

Speaker 6 (02:00:42):
It's not you don't have to yell and scream about it.

Speaker 8 (02:00:46):
And you know, my kid never gets this chance to
absolutely get the chance of swimming, So it's I can
definitely see young me and young young my parents, and
I mean some of the ones who acquire injuries as well.

Speaker 6 (02:00:58):
There's others who have come through in a power pathway
that are at the.

Speaker 8 (02:01:00):
Same time as me, and you see them in those
swimmers as well. It's really cool, Israel cot mart real passion,
passionate role for me with me, such great progress in
that it's it's really cool to start seeing some of
the people who I've worked with in terms of young
athletes coming through and being on national teams with me.

Speaker 4 (02:01:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:01:19):
No, your passion so obvious, mate. The valuable perspective your
bring must be incredibly valuable to our next next wave
of swimmers. And for you made off to the World
champs and Singapore, so all the best over there look
forward to catching up when you get back.

Speaker 4 (02:01:31):
Yer, thank you very much, No, thank you for joining us.

Speaker 2 (02:01:33):
Cam cam Lesley are one of our great paralympians off
to another World Championship in Singapore in September eight and
a half away from three. News TALKSB.

Speaker 1 (02:01:43):
When it's down to the line, you made a call
on eight eighty Weekend Sport with Jason Hine News TALKSB.

Speaker 2 (02:01:51):
Coming up five to three from Go Media Stadium. The
Warriors women in action against the Gold Coast Titans. Eight
and a half minutes gone. The Titans have scored a
try and converted it. They lead to six nil. The
men's game to follow, of course at five o'clock as
the Warriors looked to avoid what happened when they played
the Titans last year and lost sixty six six. Hopefully
that might happen again this afternoon. We'll cover off all

(02:02:13):
the league and other stuff for you on the show tomorrow.
Tim Beverage after three with the Weekend Collective. Thank you
for listening in this afternoon. Huge thanks to Any McDonald
for producing the show as always, which earns you the
exit song.

Speaker 19 (02:02:25):
Yes Piney and today I've managed to keep it under
wraps for a couple of weeks. I haven't used it yet,
but it's one of my favorite times of the year
because we have Tour de France and Tour de France
van Sutz as well tomorrow night, so I've gone for
Queen's Bicycle race to see us out.

Speaker 2 (02:02:42):
Excellent choice. See you tomorrow at midday, folks.

Speaker 20 (02:03:18):
Case waits for your candidate for a lot again.

Speaker 5 (02:03:33):
So I want to do it.

Speaker 3 (02:03:39):
I want to.

Speaker 17 (02:03:44):
I want to ride my busy girl.

Speaker 20 (02:03:47):
I want to ride my bye I want to ride
my by guy.

Speaker 10 (02:03:53):
I want to ride it.

Speaker 20 (02:03:54):
Where are.

Speaker 1 (02:03:59):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live
to news talks it'd be weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.

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