December 4, 2025 • 11 mins
For this week's Friday Sport Kick-off, Newstalk ZB’s sport gurus Adam Cooper and Jason Pine join Nick to discuss the latest in sport this week.
With excitement building for Phoenix and Auckland FC Derby game, they talk about their predictions for tomorrow, plus chat about the next T20
They also discuss the Tokomanawa Queens upcoming game in Porirua this weekend, and their gift giving initiative for the Kindness collective. Bring an unwrapped toy and get free entry to the game.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk said, b getting u set for your
sporting weekend. It's the Wellington Mornings Friday sport kickoff on
news Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
S Ed b as I said at the start of
the show, at great expense, Wellington Mornings sent Jason Pine
to Auckland to cover the derby. I mean, we just
(00:40):
have that sort of budget to make sure that you
get right up to date with what's happening. Phoenix play
Auckland tomorrow at five o'clock Saturday five o'clock. Jason Pine
joins me as well as Adam Cooper. Good morning, Keeps.
We'll go to you first. You're right, Jason, you're right.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I'm great. Yes, thank you for lending me your helicopter, Nick,
I know you usually use it over the weekend, but
thank you for making it available to you know, the
peasants among us to Auckland safely.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
It's the guy that sits at the end studio where
you are right now that's got the helicopter, Not me, Mike, Mike,
somebody anyway, get on to what's going on right now.
You're in Auckland. What's the vibe I mean sell out apparently.
I've been told it's very very close a couple of
days ago. Must be close to us sellout. This is big.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, hug jup. Yeah, it's the only derby in Auckland
the season as well. There are three derbies as we know.
Two of them were in Auckland last year and one
in Wellington that flips. This year, we've had one in
the Capitol, one here in Auckland tomorrow, and then another
one in Wellington next year. Look, it will sell out.
The weather forecast is excellent compared to the torrential rain
they had here in Auckland a week ago. Yeah, I'm
(01:50):
actually here before the Phoenix. The Phoenix aren't flying until
later on tonight, so they're just coming in for a
bit of a smash and grab by the sounds of it.
I know they're doing a little bit of media later
on today down in Wellington before they fly out. But yeah, look,
I yeah, I'm very very curious to see what happens tomorrow.
I think it's going to be another one of the
(02:12):
great chapters in this already very interesting derby legacy.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Tell me the Japanese captain, I can't remember his name,
but I really like him.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Is he back, Rokie SARKI No, No, he's out for
another week with a hamstring injury. He hasn't been included,
so that's a blow for Auckland. So no is the answer.
He won't be there. Well, he'll be there at the game,
I'm sure, but not playing in it now.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Coeps you're on the ground. You do the ground announcing
at the game, so you're right there. You see the vibe.
Did it change after we gave him a serve last week?
I mean, did you last week? They wondered they did
it feel different?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Per it was night and day compared to the week
prior against MacArthur getting that win over Adelaide last week,
I mean just the energy from the players on the field.
And it wasn't just you know, through the game, it
was from the opening minutes. They just felt like they
they knew they needed to show something and prove themselves.
And I don't know how many rockets they got from
Chief He during the week. I suspect a fair bit
(03:08):
whether there are rockets or some serious conversations, the team
genuinely looked like they wanted to win, and they wanted
to win well. I think they probably felt the heat
that was coming on the team and the coaching staff
and they knew they needed to put through a good performance.
But you know, considering the week before they didn't get
a shot on goal until the ninety third minute, they
got it underway and when multiple attempts very early on
(03:28):
in that game. Dan Edwards, who's a sort of you know,
journeyman footballer who's been playing different leagues over in Australia.
He's a new part of the Phoenix this year on
debut at Aucklander. I thought, just seeing him run around
on the field, he stands out because of his fair
colored hair. But at the same time his energy that
he lifted this team to I think really helped. So yeah,
I'm pretty encouraged. I think I'm more optimistic getting into
(03:49):
this game than I was maybe the first derby a
couple of weeks ago. But Jesus is going to be
a tough ask, especially with the home advantage and screaming
ferocious fans up there at Mount smart Piney.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
You would have seen it because I saw it on
TV one. I mean, the Auckland guys were getting pushed
pretty damn hard. They were doing this test. They were
doing extra work. They were getting flogged. They look like
they were getting flogged. What's your gut telling you.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Yeah, well, I don't think that's too different from what
the Wellington Phoenix would have been doing this week. You know,
just because the cameras weren't there doesn't mean they weren't
putting in the hard work. And look, a week is
structured pretty similarly across football teams. They have their heart season,
it's normally midweek sometime, so I get the feeling that
the Wellington Phoenix would have been doing as much cardio
and as much sprinting up and down as as Auckland
(04:38):
FC were. Look, I think tomorrow. You know, you don't
get to this level without being able to play football.
You know that's an obvious statement. You know, these are
two teams of good football players. But in moments like
these are not just in football, but in any sport.
It's about moments, I believe, and and capturing those moments,
you know, winning those moments. There'll be times in the
(05:00):
game tomorrow where you know there's a something happens that
that is the product of a flash of inspira or
maybe an era, but it'll be a moment within the game,
and it might just be one, or it might be
two or three, but you win those moments and you
win the game. That's how I feel this one will
go tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
What are the odds, Piney? Do you know?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Well? I think Aukland are firm favorites. Last time I checked,
I think they were paying about a dollar eighty to
Wellington's four fifty four dollars fifty well actually, earlier in
the week they were playing about five bucks, so I
think it's come down a little bit. But either way,
they are, you know, Awkland, the FC will be will
be firm firm favorites. At home.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Oh gosh, four dollars, four dollars, someone's after the TV.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
After the show, I might put a tenor on there
and buy a coffee's.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
You might lose your helicopter, mate, I.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Might put a lazy if I put ten on it,
four Ichams shout coffees next week, Piney, that'd be pretty good, right,
Domestic T twenty competition. Now, tell me coops what's going
on here? Because I think this is a fabulous idea
and I want to put a team in from Wellington.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Basically, there is a sentiment around that the competition should
be more sustainable. Obviously we have the Super Smash, the
T twenty comp usually over sort of late December January,
that all the associations play for. And it's interesting that
you know, New Zealand Cricket obviously don't want this, you know,
mooted private investment in this, but the associations, which you
know fall London New Zealand Cricket do because they can
(06:26):
see some commercial opportunities with it and the chance to
actually make money, which as we all know, and sport
at a you know, sort of domestic level is incredibly
tough at the moment. Obviously New Zealand Cricket, as the
governing body here in New Zealand, are worried about the
losing control and very much so losing revenue from this.
I'm quite excited about the prospect of this and just
(06:46):
seeing something a little bit different to spark this competition.
I still think the Super Smash is a really important
competition for the breeding ground of the next talented players,
even just here in Wellington. You look at the likes
of Rutch and Ravender who's come through the system and
done incredibly well now you know, scoring a century yesterday, too,
so cent and a half.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
So it's a tough debate. There's obviously two very firm
sides to this argument that aren't relenting. It's causing huge
issues with New Zealand cricket, including the future of you
know that the CEO on the line in regards to this,
because he's been obviously involved in trying to fight for
New Zealand cricket starts on this. But the board is
almost at loggerheads over this. So, I mean, God on
(07:28):
the back of the netple stuff, Cricket's going through very
similar things at the moment.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Piney, I love this idea. I think this is a
classic idea. And someone very very high up in cricket
about six or eight months ago told me that about
seventy five percent of every dollar that's involved in cricket
comes from India, right, So imagine if we could get
an Indian organization backing this and having a like a
like a showtime, like an NBA version of twenty twenty
(07:54):
through New Zealand, how good would that be?
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Yeah, I'm a fan of it too, and I think
the foreign ownership part of it, I think can sometimes
be painted as a bad thing. But then you look
at all for their sea we were just talking about them.
I mean, they're largely owned by Bill Foley, who doesn't
reside most of the time in New Zealand. I think
the great shame of all of this because that is
that personalities have been drawn into this and now there's
potshots being thrown. At the end of the day, people
(08:18):
are here to administer the game on the board, if
they work for New Zealand Cricket or if they're you know,
pushing an alternative at the you know, the game of
cricket and its fans has to be placed at the
center of that conversation. And I feel at the moment
as though there are just pot shots being fired, getting
a little bit personal. I see the letter that came
(08:41):
out yesterday, you know, took a couple of digs at
Don McKinnon, who's the administrator who's heading up the MZ
twenty organization, A man of high integrity, you know, I
just thought that was a little bit below the belt.
So I think we lose sight of the actual most
important thing here, which is the game. What is best
for the game, And if what is best for the
(09:02):
game is this NZ twenty, then so be it. If
it's not, then so be it. But put the game
at the center of the conversation rather than taking you know,
and I know things get political, and I know they
get personal, and I know people have use three and
have beefs with one another, but that has to be
booked to one side talking about the greater good of
the game.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
And you look at what's happened over and over in
the UK. You know, the most traditional form of you know,
cricket is the counties over in the UK. They've had
huge investment in their county clubs for the you know,
the T twenty they call it one hundred over there,
the short format of the game, and that the benefits
financially to the counties, the benefits benefits of the cricketing
public are huge. You see sold out stadiums there for
(09:41):
all those games up there, and I know that they're
looking at a similar kind of model here. You know,
you can still have a Wellington team. You're going to
get people come into the basin and cheering on, you know,
the the Wellington team, the Lower North Island team. So
I don't think from a fans perspective there's any losses here.
I would like to see kind of you know what
the A League football does in terms of, you know,
making sure there are you know, under twenty three players
(10:01):
acknowledged and making sure there's a sort of quota on
young up and coming players that can still use this
competition to rise up through the system.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Yeah, great idea. That's a great idea. Make three or
four compulsory in you're twelve that are under twenty three
A great idea. Really really quickly, guys, I've got to go,
got twenty seconds, coeps, come tell me about the Takowama.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Queen Tokman of a Queen's Yah three o'clock tip off
semi finals tomorrow at to open the Heart Arena and
that now you can get along for free if you
bring a toy along, like a toy Christmas present. It's
for called Toys for Joy and it's going to a
Kindness Collective which is a local charity here that will
obviously be given to a kid and need for Christmas.
So what a perfect way. And I know the Queens
they've had a great season, the likes of Stellar Beck
(10:41):
they're absolute legend of the sport and this will be
great if the Queens can join the Saints and Ben
Crown's Basketball champions and Wellington for the year.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Son. I'll tell you one thing, Stellar Beck is my
favorite female New Zealand basketballer of all time. That's a
pretty big accolade, isn't it. That'saculator.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays.
Follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk said, b getting u set for your
sporting weekend. It's the Wellington Mornings Friday sport kickoff on
news Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
S Ed b as I said at the start of
the show, at great expense, Wellington Mornings sent Jason Pine
to Auckland to cover the derby. I mean, we just
(00:40):
have that sort of budget to make sure that you
get right up to date with what's happening. Phoenix play
Auckland tomorrow at five o'clock Saturday five o'clock. Jason Pine
joins me as well as Adam Cooper. Good morning, Keeps.
We'll go to you first. You're right, Jason, you're right.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I'm great. Yes, thank you for lending me your helicopter, Nick,
I know you usually use it over the weekend, but
thank you for making it available to you know, the
peasants among us to Auckland safely.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
It's the guy that sits at the end studio where
you are right now that's got the helicopter, Not me, Mike, Mike,
somebody anyway, get on to what's going on right now.
You're in Auckland. What's the vibe I mean sell out apparently.
I've been told it's very very close a couple of
days ago. Must be close to us sellout. This is big.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, hug jup. Yeah, it's the only derby in Auckland
the season as well. There are three derbies as we know.
Two of them were in Auckland last year and one
in Wellington that flips. This year, we've had one in
the Capitol, one here in Auckland tomorrow, and then another
one in Wellington next year. Look, it will sell out.
The weather forecast is excellent compared to the torrential rain
they had here in Auckland a week ago. Yeah, I'm
(01:50):
actually here before the Phoenix. The Phoenix aren't flying until
later on tonight, so they're just coming in for a
bit of a smash and grab by the sounds of it.
I know they're doing a little bit of media later
on today down in Wellington before they fly out. But yeah, look,
I yeah, I'm very very curious to see what happens tomorrow.
I think it's going to be another one of the
(02:12):
great chapters in this already very interesting derby legacy.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Tell me the Japanese captain, I can't remember his name,
but I really like him.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Is he back, Rokie SARKI No, No, he's out for
another week with a hamstring injury. He hasn't been included,
so that's a blow for Auckland. So no is the answer.
He won't be there. Well, he'll be there at the game,
I'm sure, but not playing in it now.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Coeps you're on the ground. You do the ground announcing
at the game, so you're right there. You see the vibe.
Did it change after we gave him a serve last week?
I mean, did you last week? They wondered they did
it feel different?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Per it was night and day compared to the week
prior against MacArthur getting that win over Adelaide last week,
I mean just the energy from the players on the field.
And it wasn't just you know, through the game, it
was from the opening minutes. They just felt like they
they knew they needed to show something and prove themselves.
And I don't know how many rockets they got from
Chief He during the week. I suspect a fair bit
(03:08):
whether there are rockets or some serious conversations, the team
genuinely looked like they wanted to win, and they wanted
to win well. I think they probably felt the heat
that was coming on the team and the coaching staff
and they knew they needed to put through a good performance.
But you know, considering the week before they didn't get
a shot on goal until the ninety third minute, they
got it underway and when multiple attempts very early on
(03:28):
in that game. Dan Edwards, who's a sort of you know,
journeyman footballer who's been playing different leagues over in Australia.
He's a new part of the Phoenix this year on
debut at Aucklander. I thought, just seeing him run around
on the field, he stands out because of his fair
colored hair. But at the same time his energy that
he lifted this team to I think really helped. So yeah,
I'm pretty encouraged. I think I'm more optimistic getting into
(03:49):
this game than I was maybe the first derby a
couple of weeks ago. But Jesus is going to be
a tough ask, especially with the home advantage and screaming
ferocious fans up there at Mount smart Piney.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
You would have seen it because I saw it on
TV one. I mean, the Auckland guys were getting pushed
pretty damn hard. They were doing this test. They were
doing extra work. They were getting flogged. They look like
they were getting flogged. What's your gut telling you.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Yeah, well, I don't think that's too different from what
the Wellington Phoenix would have been doing this week. You know,
just because the cameras weren't there doesn't mean they weren't
putting in the hard work. And look, a week is
structured pretty similarly across football teams. They have their heart season,
it's normally midweek sometime, so I get the feeling that
the Wellington Phoenix would have been doing as much cardio
and as much sprinting up and down as as Auckland
(04:38):
FC were. Look, I think tomorrow. You know, you don't
get to this level without being able to play football.
You know that's an obvious statement. You know, these are
two teams of good football players. But in moments like
these are not just in football, but in any sport.
It's about moments, I believe, and and capturing those moments,
you know, winning those moments. There'll be times in the
(05:00):
game tomorrow where you know there's a something happens that
that is the product of a flash of inspira or
maybe an era, but it'll be a moment within the game,
and it might just be one, or it might be
two or three, but you win those moments and you
win the game. That's how I feel this one will
go tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
What are the odds, Piney? Do you know?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Well? I think Aukland are firm favorites. Last time I checked,
I think they were paying about a dollar eighty to
Wellington's four fifty four dollars fifty well actually, earlier in
the week they were playing about five bucks, so I
think it's come down a little bit. But either way,
they are, you know, Awkland, the FC will be will
be firm firm favorites. At home.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Oh gosh, four dollars, four dollars, someone's after the TV.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
After the show, I might put a tenor on there
and buy a coffee's.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
You might lose your helicopter, mate, I.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Might put a lazy if I put ten on it,
four Ichams shout coffees next week, Piney, that'd be pretty good, right,
Domestic T twenty competition. Now, tell me coops what's going
on here? Because I think this is a fabulous idea
and I want to put a team in from Wellington.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Basically, there is a sentiment around that the competition should
be more sustainable. Obviously we have the Super Smash, the
T twenty comp usually over sort of late December January,
that all the associations play for. And it's interesting that
you know, New Zealand Cricket obviously don't want this, you know,
mooted private investment in this, but the associations, which you
know fall London New Zealand Cricket do because they can
(06:26):
see some commercial opportunities with it and the chance to
actually make money, which as we all know, and sport
at a you know, sort of domestic level is incredibly
tough at the moment. Obviously New Zealand Cricket, as the
governing body here in New Zealand, are worried about the
losing control and very much so losing revenue from this.
I'm quite excited about the prospect of this and just
(06:46):
seeing something a little bit different to spark this competition.
I still think the Super Smash is a really important
competition for the breeding ground of the next talented players,
even just here in Wellington. You look at the likes
of Rutch and Ravender who's come through the system and
done incredibly well now you know, scoring a century yesterday, too,
so cent and a half.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
So it's a tough debate. There's obviously two very firm
sides to this argument that aren't relenting. It's causing huge
issues with New Zealand cricket, including the future of you
know that the CEO on the line in regards to this,
because he's been obviously involved in trying to fight for
New Zealand cricket starts on this. But the board is
almost at loggerheads over this. So, I mean, God on
(07:28):
the back of the netple stuff, Cricket's going through very
similar things at the moment.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Piney, I love this idea. I think this is a
classic idea. And someone very very high up in cricket
about six or eight months ago told me that about
seventy five percent of every dollar that's involved in cricket
comes from India, right, So imagine if we could get
an Indian organization backing this and having a like a
like a showtime, like an NBA version of twenty twenty
(07:54):
through New Zealand, how good would that be?
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Yeah, I'm a fan of it too, and I think
the foreign ownership part of it, I think can sometimes
be painted as a bad thing. But then you look
at all for their sea we were just talking about them.
I mean, they're largely owned by Bill Foley, who doesn't
reside most of the time in New Zealand. I think
the great shame of all of this because that is
that personalities have been drawn into this and now there's
potshots being thrown. At the end of the day, people
(08:18):
are here to administer the game on the board, if
they work for New Zealand Cricket or if they're you know,
pushing an alternative at the you know, the game of
cricket and its fans has to be placed at the
center of that conversation. And I feel at the moment
as though there are just pot shots being fired, getting
a little bit personal. I see the letter that came
(08:41):
out yesterday, you know, took a couple of digs at
Don McKinnon, who's the administrator who's heading up the MZ
twenty organization, A man of high integrity, you know, I
just thought that was a little bit below the belt.
So I think we lose sight of the actual most
important thing here, which is the game. What is best
for the game, And if what is best for the
(09:02):
game is this NZ twenty, then so be it. If
it's not, then so be it. But put the game
at the center of the conversation rather than taking you know,
and I know things get political, and I know they
get personal, and I know people have use three and
have beefs with one another, but that has to be
booked to one side talking about the greater good of
the game.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
And you look at what's happened over and over in
the UK. You know, the most traditional form of you know,
cricket is the counties over in the UK. They've had
huge investment in their county clubs for the you know,
the T twenty they call it one hundred over there,
the short format of the game, and that the benefits
financially to the counties, the benefits benefits of the cricketing
public are huge. You see sold out stadiums there for
(09:41):
all those games up there, and I know that they're
looking at a similar kind of model here. You know,
you can still have a Wellington team. You're going to
get people come into the basin and cheering on, you know,
the the Wellington team, the Lower North Island team. So
I don't think from a fans perspective there's any losses here.
I would like to see kind of you know what
the A League football does in terms of, you know,
making sure there are you know, under twenty three players
(10:01):
acknowledged and making sure there's a sort of quota on
young up and coming players that can still use this
competition to rise up through the system.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Yeah, great idea. That's a great idea. Make three or
four compulsory in you're twelve that are under twenty three
A great idea. Really really quickly, guys, I've got to go,
got twenty seconds, coeps, come tell me about the Takowama.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Queen Tokman of a Queen's Yah three o'clock tip off
semi finals tomorrow at to open the Heart Arena and
that now you can get along for free if you
bring a toy along, like a toy Christmas present. It's
for called Toys for Joy and it's going to a
Kindness Collective which is a local charity here that will
obviously be given to a kid and need for Christmas.
So what a perfect way. And I know the Queens
they've had a great season, the likes of Stellar Beck
(10:41):
they're absolute legend of the sport and this will be
great if the Queens can join the Saints and Ben
Crown's Basketball champions and Wellington for the year.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Son. I'll tell you one thing, Stellar Beck is my
favorite female New Zealand basketballer of all time. That's a
pretty big accolade, isn't it. That'saculator.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays.
Follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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