October 3, 2025 • 5 mins
New Zealand’s premier domestic football competition kicked off last week.
Ten clubs from across the country are taking part in the National League Football competition, with Western Springs qualifying through their win in the Northern League.
They kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 win over Western Suburbs last week, and are facing a tough challenge this week as they take on Chatham Cup winners Wellington Olympic away from home.
D'Arcy caught up with Western Springs captain Reid Drake to preview the matchup.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The National League Football Camp kicked off premier domestic football competition.
It's in New Zealand. It's the top ten clubs right
across the nation. Of course, they go through the Southern
and the cent from the Northern League in order to
get there. Western Springs qualified by winning the Northern League
this year and they kicked off their campaign by pounding
(00:34):
Western Suburbs three zip this week. That gets slightly out
for them. They're taking on the Chatham Cup winners Wellington
Olympic and they're away from home. Read Drake, he's the
captain of the side. He's got a very impressive resume.
He joins the program now to discuss the match. Get
a read. How are you feeling?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Yeah, mate, feeling very good.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Excited for the game today and yeah, just looking forward
to getting down there and seeing what we can do.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So what excites you particularly? I mean, you've been through
I'd run through a list of your achieved but I
haven't got time that. You've played many, many competitions at
many different levels. What gives you that spark about game day?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Oh? You know, just the magic of football.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
I guess anything can happen on the day and you're
always hoping that it's going to be a nice, cruisy win.
But sometimes football delivers the unexpected and it's even better
than even.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Better than that.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
So I guess that's always just on the edge, wait
and see if that's going to happen.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well into an Olympic didn't come down to the last shower.
They bring a lot of experience and success. Have you
seen any holes in what they do or the formation
they play? Where do you see them to be? I
spoke tin canned opened.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Yeah, I mean they're obviously a very successful side. I
mean I think they've won the last five Central Leagues
and back to back channem Cups, so they're no stranger
to winning silverware.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
You know, we play actually a bit of what we
believe is contrasting styles.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
I think they're quite good in the transitional moments of
the game, whereas we like to control the game as
much as we can as the ball and.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Sort of stop the transition.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
So it will be interesting to see how that balance
is out over the game. But I think if we
can control the game how we do and again stop
their transitions, then I think we should be in a
good spot.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
How much of that hangs on you though, sits on
your should as you playing playing in the midfield, and
I think, yeah, picked myself up a goal last week
as well, But there's a lot of responsibility on you
to stop, to cease, to slow down that transition.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Yeah, there is obviously that moment in defense we can
break up play and stop transitions, and then also then
when we have the border to make the correct decision,
maybe not take on our own attacking transitions too often.
They're obviously an important part of the game, and it's
also how you score goals. So that's definitely being in
the middle, weighing up whether you're going to take the
bait that might be they might be giving you, or
(02:42):
decide just to keep the ball and control the game.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So those are the decisions we're always having to make,
and that's what.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Separates better players from others is choosing that right moment,
whether you're a transitional team.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Or whether you like to keep the ball from us.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
So yeah, there's always big decisions to be made, but
that's why you play the game.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, and you'll be leading that from the middle. I'm
presuming that you've got a good leadership group around you,
but I get to feel it's a bit like Maurray
mexteaed back in the Rugby Union days sayings about the
psychic energy within a team to make that decision or
do you actually have to shout at each other?
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Depends what type of game we're having.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Yeah, I mean I like to lead as much as
I can and help players where I like where I can,
So I'm always sort of hearing my voice a lot
if you're ever at one of our games. But we
train the way we play, and everyone's trusted to make
the right decision. But sometimes I might try to give
them a little advice as we're going along.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
And you've got a lot of young fellows playing in
the team, late teens, early twenties, how can you help
them in the build up to games like this? Is
there anything you can offer them with the experience you've had.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yeah, I mean for some of them it might be
their first National League campaign.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And you know, New Zealand's a funny.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Place where travel to Wellington early in the morning, play
the game mid afternoon, travel home and all in the
same day. So it's quite a different experience and having
done that for quite a few years and many many games,
Ye try to keep them honest with what they're doing.
You know, it's not just about the plane trif from
that being cool. You know you've got a job to
do to go down there and win the game for
(04:04):
the club. So yeah, I try to provide that experience
where I can.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Joined by Reid Drake, captain of the AFC. Start out
of Western Springs playing Wellington Olympic. You're an Auckland City
player for a while, wasn't you? Yes?
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Yes, majority of I would say my national career was
spins Auckland City. So made the move a couple of
years ago and really enjoying it so far.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah what happened? Why did you move? Did you get
drop kicked or did you run off yourself?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
I chose.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
I chose to run off, thank god, and get drop kicked.
But yeah, I was just looking for a new challenge
within the game. I mean, whether people like it or not,
I'd wun everything I could win at Auland City and
you know, some some trophies multiple multiple times, and the
ear was really looking forward to a new challenge and
to sort of challenge myself I guess to win trophies
away from that club, and thankfully this year and the
Northern Lage managed to do that and that was really.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Special for me.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
But there's more to do than that. And you know,
the National league's the next one on my list.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
And you've been around the traps for a while and
it's on the up and football or globally, but in
New Zealand too, what's the standard light from when you
first started to dribbling around now?
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, I mean football and New Zealand's growing so much.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
It's great to see.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Yeah, the standards, it's a weird one that it's changed
with how the National League used to be run being
over the summer and franchises and now it's club based
and you need to make the top four and the
Northern and the Southern and the top two and well
that was in the Southern sorry, top four in.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
The Northern and the Central region.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
So yeah, it's different because necessarily the best players aren't
always playing National League because of their club didn't make
it then you know they miss out that year. But
that also brings the competitiveness within the regional moment. So yeah,
it's still a similar similar standards but just different to judge,
I guess.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk Said to Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The National League Football Camp kicked off premier domestic football competition.
It's in New Zealand. It's the top ten clubs right
across the nation. Of course, they go through the Southern
and the cent from the Northern League in order to
get there. Western Springs qualified by winning the Northern League
this year and they kicked off their campaign by pounding
(00:34):
Western Suburbs three zip this week. That gets slightly out
for them. They're taking on the Chatham Cup winners Wellington
Olympic and they're away from home. Read Drake, he's the
captain of the side. He's got a very impressive resume.
He joins the program now to discuss the match. Get
a read. How are you feeling?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Yeah, mate, feeling very good.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Excited for the game today and yeah, just looking forward
to getting down there and seeing what we can do.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So what excites you particularly? I mean, you've been through
I'd run through a list of your achieved but I
haven't got time that. You've played many, many competitions at
many different levels. What gives you that spark about game day?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Oh? You know, just the magic of football.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
I guess anything can happen on the day and you're
always hoping that it's going to be a nice, cruisy win.
But sometimes football delivers the unexpected and it's even better
than even.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Better than that.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
So I guess that's always just on the edge, wait
and see if that's going to happen.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well into an Olympic didn't come down to the last shower.
They bring a lot of experience and success. Have you
seen any holes in what they do or the formation
they play? Where do you see them to be? I
spoke tin canned opened.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Yeah, I mean they're obviously a very successful side. I
mean I think they've won the last five Central Leagues
and back to back channem Cups, so they're no stranger
to winning silverware.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
You know, we play actually a bit of what we
believe is contrasting styles.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
I think they're quite good in the transitional moments of
the game, whereas we like to control the game as
much as we can as the ball and.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Sort of stop the transition.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
So it will be interesting to see how that balance
is out over the game. But I think if we
can control the game how we do and again stop
their transitions, then I think we should be in a
good spot.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
How much of that hangs on you though, sits on
your should as you playing playing in the midfield, and
I think, yeah, picked myself up a goal last week
as well, But there's a lot of responsibility on you
to stop, to cease, to slow down that transition.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Yeah, there is obviously that moment in defense we can
break up play and stop transitions, and then also then
when we have the border to make the correct decision,
maybe not take on our own attacking transitions too often.
They're obviously an important part of the game, and it's
also how you score goals. So that's definitely being in
the middle, weighing up whether you're going to take the
bait that might be they might be giving you, or
(02:42):
decide just to keep the ball and control the game.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So those are the decisions we're always having to make,
and that's what.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Separates better players from others is choosing that right moment,
whether you're a transitional team.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Or whether you like to keep the ball from us.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
So yeah, there's always big decisions to be made, but
that's why you play the game.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, and you'll be leading that from the middle. I'm
presuming that you've got a good leadership group around you,
but I get to feel it's a bit like Maurray
mexteaed back in the Rugby Union days sayings about the
psychic energy within a team to make that decision or
do you actually have to shout at each other?
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Depends what type of game we're having.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Yeah, I mean I like to lead as much as
I can and help players where I like where I can,
So I'm always sort of hearing my voice a lot
if you're ever at one of our games. But we
train the way we play, and everyone's trusted to make
the right decision. But sometimes I might try to give
them a little advice as we're going along.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
And you've got a lot of young fellows playing in
the team, late teens, early twenties, how can you help
them in the build up to games like this? Is
there anything you can offer them with the experience you've had.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yeah, I mean for some of them it might be
their first National League campaign.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And you know, New Zealand's a funny.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Place where travel to Wellington early in the morning, play
the game mid afternoon, travel home and all in the
same day. So it's quite a different experience and having
done that for quite a few years and many many games,
Ye try to keep them honest with what they're doing.
You know, it's not just about the plane trif from
that being cool. You know you've got a job to
do to go down there and win the game for
(04:04):
the club. So yeah, I try to provide that experience
where I can.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Joined by Reid Drake, captain of the AFC. Start out
of Western Springs playing Wellington Olympic. You're an Auckland City
player for a while, wasn't you? Yes?
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Yes, majority of I would say my national career was
spins Auckland City. So made the move a couple of
years ago and really enjoying it so far.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah what happened? Why did you move? Did you get
drop kicked or did you run off yourself?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
I chose.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
I chose to run off, thank god, and get drop kicked.
But yeah, I was just looking for a new challenge
within the game. I mean, whether people like it or not,
I'd wun everything I could win at Auland City and
you know, some some trophies multiple multiple times, and the
ear was really looking forward to a new challenge and
to sort of challenge myself I guess to win trophies
away from that club, and thankfully this year and the
Northern Lage managed to do that and that was really.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Special for me.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
But there's more to do than that. And you know,
the National league's the next one on my list.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
And you've been around the traps for a while and
it's on the up and football or globally, but in
New Zealand too, what's the standard light from when you
first started to dribbling around now?
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, I mean football and New Zealand's growing so much.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
It's great to see.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Yeah, the standards, it's a weird one that it's changed
with how the National League used to be run being
over the summer and franchises and now it's club based
and you need to make the top four and the
Northern and the Southern and the top two and well
that was in the Southern sorry, top four in.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
The Northern and the Central region.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
So yeah, it's different because necessarily the best players aren't
always playing National League because of their club didn't make
it then you know they miss out that year. But
that also brings the competitiveness within the regional moment. So yeah,
it's still a similar similar standards but just different to judge,
I guess.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk Said to Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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