The Muster- Elliot Smith: A Review Of The Olympics To Date

Elliot Smith of Newstalk ZB reviews the Olympics to date as the track and field programme gets into full swing.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Narl just Manning Street sand.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Spread so we couldn't drive last week.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
This is the Master on a Monday afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Elliott Smith out of News Talk ZEB, part of the
team at gold Sport bringing you the Olympics out of Paris.
Been burning the midnight oil over the last ten days
or so. However, this week back to Mornells normality. There
is an all Blacks test at the weekend. Talking about
that later, Elliott, Good afternoon, once again the Olympics.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
How have you found it so far? From your perspective?

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Afternoon, Andy looked really enjoying it. And I think by
the end of the two weeks everyone and it's like, oh,
I don't know if I could do another week of
that in terms of the lack of sleep and everything
like that, that you'll never to be missing. And I've
really enjoyed the first week at a berth and some
of those major events like the one hundred meter finals
this morning, the swimming last week, you know, all the

(00:56):
other events and seeing new jeleitors compete. That's to reminder
of why we love the Olympics and how special it
is to see that the New Zealanders on the world stage.
But also take in you know, some of the best
doing their thing, and nevisably as flicking the channels or
trying to figure out what you want to watch, you'll
stumble across something you might or you find yourself at

(01:17):
three am watching sort of Belgium played Germanian handball. It's
the magic of the Olympics and I really enjoy it.
So I look at a couple of weeks and I'm
sure our commentary team we're looking forward to good night's
sleep at the end of it, as well as probably
all the New Zealanders and in Folk down your way
once it's over and get back to a normal routine.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Why has handball never taken off in New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
I just got the players for it, but I think
could be quite good, but perhaps not the competition in
terms of having the you know, the countries around us
to compete against it. You look at Europe and they
played ad nausea and there there's handball leagues obviously there,
and they can all fairly easy league travel and play
to other on a regular basis. So I think, you know,

(02:04):
the tyranny of distance of New Zealand sort of hurts
us a little bit there and as it does in
other sports. You know that we we do compete out that.
You know, it's a long way from New Zealand to
get to anywhere. I think perhaps that this might be
the case with Hampbell. There's no doubt in my mind
looking at some of the players that we're quite good
at it if we had a good shake at it

(02:24):
and could put together a decent professional league. But I
suspect just the way things are set up in New Zealand,
Hampbell can't quite you know, get LWA players away from
rugby league or some of those other sports.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
In Betwig Silver, that's got to go down as one
of the highlights considering she's given up the sport a
few years back and she got back into it.

Speaker 3 (02:44):
Yeah, how special was that? In Golden Tokyo and now
Silver here and look, I thought it was probably New
Zealand's one of the moments of the game so far,
just seeing her compete. I think she knew that Lorraine
the touch role was probably going to be too good
for her in the final, but in between to row

(03:04):
her dners and stick with you to half a boat
length alongside and prove to herself that she could do
it again and went back to back metal. She stely
had plenty of heartbreak in the first half of her career,
but what a what a second half, What a second
you know, one thousand meters to use the analogy of
rolling that in the twigs at She's come home exceptingly
strong and those two medals, I think underlying, you know,

(03:27):
her status and the ability, I think the guy as
an athlete who's a wee bit older, probably in the
midst of the field and recently New Zealand rowing team
now as some of those other rowing grapes that we've
had over the last decade or so depart, you know,
she's waved the flag and she's had a really special
time and look already looking her forward and I think

(03:48):
when she's done the flag bearing before for New Zealand
and the Olympic Games, I can't really remember, but there
wouldn't be a better choice in my mind for her
to do the flag bearing at the closing ceremony. She
might have done it in twenty two I can't quite recall,
but you know, she's been a great Olympic in for
New Zealand and to her to win silver, I thought
the other night, and do everything she's had for everything
she's been I thought was exceptional. So yeah, a really

(04:10):
special moment of the games.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
Now the rugby sevens, you killed the ladies, so that
fantastic Quinn. Last week the men weren't so lucky. Do
you think rugby's getting a bit more of a profile
over in America?

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Now?

Speaker 2 (04:21):
Given the All Blacks couple of weeks ago and likes
the snoop Dog of all people doing a commentary run
regarding the regarding the rugbyat is this helping the cause
for the game much?

Speaker 1 (04:30):
You reckon?

Speaker 3 (04:31):
I think everything helps with America. And they've got a
couple of Rugby World Cups coming up, the Men's in
twenty thirty one, the Women's in twenty thirty three. I
think those sort of things definitely help exposure on the
main stage. I was listening to one of my regular podcasts,
which has nothing to do with sport usually, and they
were talking about some of the American TV coverage and

(04:52):
its stumbled across the Rugby sevens and the US women
winning the bronze and how cool that was and what
a finish to that game beating Austairli that loan of
store of America. So everything helps in that regard. One
of the US women's sevens players alone, o Ma is
now the most followed Ruggy player on Instagram. She was
exceptional during the tournament and created a bit of a

(05:12):
profile for herself. I note that the women's seventh team
is now being given four million dollars worth of funding
from a high profile for Lansffers over there. So everything
thinking along and I think when you look at LA
twenty twenty eight, you know, that's a real stage for
the American men's and women's teams to compete on a
home stage, and that will only increase the profile. But

(05:34):
also as you lead into the Olympics, there's a chance
that some players or some athletes, you know, if they
are looking at a sport that they want to make,
the Olympics in rugby sevens might be the one for them.
So I think in the next four years it's going
to be very, very interesting to see how rugby develops
in the USA. Head at the LA Olympics.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
There now we kind of forget how the sport exists.
At the moment.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
The All Blacks are playing Argentina at the Caketon and
Wellington at the weekend. The interesting thing for me is
a battle for half banks. Obviously Aerosmith's gone, TJ Pirana
is leaving at the end of the year, but cuts
cam roy Guard and Noah Hosam.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Worst thing. We've got three quality half banks there.

Speaker 3 (06:10):
I think so too. Yeah, absolutely, And the decision by
Scott Robinson and his selectors to go to Finlay Kresty, well,
actually you might have started in against England a couple
of weeks ago, but unfortunately you're no longer and the
top three of the fit half backs that we've got
is a big call. But I think, you know, looking
at the selector, the player has got the right one.

(06:32):
They need to look towards the future. No hopeum I
thought was excellent coming off the bench. Corti Ratam has
been very very good in the time that he's got
on the park so far. So for me, I think
this weekend it's a really tight call. T De Petinara,
assuming he's fit, might be one of his last moments
at Sky Stadium as well before he calls Equips and
heaps of Japan at the end of the year. I'd

(06:55):
like to see Cortez Ratamas start this week and maybe
TJ Pedanara come off the bench. So I think that's
a combination worth looking at cam Boygard for you to
come back later on in the year. Everything I'm hearing
around that sounds pretty positive that end of the year
tour or just before he'll be ready to go. So
for me this weekend, if I was selecting, I'd go
Courtes rather than with Pett and Arra's back up the bench.

(07:17):
He've got no hope from there, who showed what he
can do, who wouldn't necessarily make my twenty three at
this point in time, but he's not far away and
that's a really exciting thing. With cam Boydguard to come back,
there's some real depth at halfback, and I don't think
at this point anyone has put the hand above with
the injury or voy guard as well going I'm the
number one half bag. What we've got at the moment

(07:38):
of three to four very very good ones. So that's
an exciting time and I think that's a real depth
happy problem you know, to have as you as you
come down to the next Rapey World Cup with these
three to four players hit to develop.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
Believe it there, Elliott, One final question for you, a
use or no more? Actually they just give me your
predictions Stags and the Empty's this year.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
Where do they finish? Be honest, look at having seen.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
How they went on preseason last weeke and my my
dad was at the game in christ Church and saw
Tasman beat Southland. I think wins are going to be
hard to come by again. But you know what, I'm
not thinking they're going to finish last. I think I
think they'll finish Twelfthgo.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
Good, Ondly, Elliet, Always appreciate your time. See Addie Elliott
Smith our news talks. He'd be part of the team
on gold Sport bringing that fantastic coverage of the Olympics
over in Paris. At the moment, Monday afternoon, before we
wrap up, all going to play and Sergeant Gary Edinson
of the Good Police