April 22, 2025 • 42 mins
D'Arcy Waldegrave returned to wrap another day of sports news! Highlights for tonight include:
Hannah Porter - NZ Rugby head of women's high performance on how to get the most out of both our Sevens and Fifteens national sides.
Talkback - do we need to get more of our superstars away from Sevens and into Aupiki?
Breakers associate head coach Judd Flavell on his sort-of-new job.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Waldegrave
from News Talk zed B.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
It's seven minutes after seven sports Talk time. Hello, it's
a Tuesday evening, twenty second of April twenty twenty. Fine,
my name is Darcy Watergrove. I have chosen not to
have a ridiculously short week. It's sure enough as it is. Anyway, old,
take what I'm given. Who's a compliant broadcaster?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Me?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Coming up in this hour on the program, we're going
to talk a bit of basketball, and we're going to
talk a lot of women's rugby and the gelling of
the sevens game and the fifteen's game. It's a little
rickety at the moment. It's a little square peg round holes.
It doesn't really fit. Why do I say that? Well,
I'll go through it with you later in the piece,
(01:16):
But at the moment, she's a bit back and forth.
The sevens play for a bit of the World Series
and then they kind of come back and steal all
the positions of the fifteen skills that play through opiki
and present to particularly well now they don't get the
role at the World Cup. Basically, how is this going
to gel together? How is new Zealand Rugby going to
build a formidable female force in rugby union. Here Inaa,
(01:40):
we're joined by Hannah Porter shortly. She's a New Zealand
Rugby's head of high performance for women's rugby, and talk
to her about the gelling of the two codes, the
fifteens and the seven. Toward the end of the program,
we're going to talk to my old Make Game Day
Jay And I can say that because I think he
(02:01):
is a friend, well hope, So we'll suppose. We'll find
out when I get him on the blower later on.
And this our jud flavel as you know him as
a he's a basketball coach. He's working with the Rams.
He managed to pick up a couple of consecutive titles
of them. He's not with them anymore. It's just kind
of lending them a helping hand. He's being a kind
of an advisor. He's also the head coach of the
(02:23):
Tall Black's quite a handy basketball team that represent the
nation in their Black singment. And he's just decided to
go back to the Breakers, how white ow not. He's
I think they call it an associate coach with the Breakers.
More of these American names aren't what even means. But
he's back in the fold again. And when he used
to be the assistant coach of the Breaker's way back then,
he used to join me every game day a mild
(02:46):
radio station, hence the name game Day J. So Game
Day Jay is back to talk about his new role
the Breakers, Where does it fit, why do you do it?
And what happens next with not only the Rams.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
But the Tall Blacks too.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
All that and more on coming with Game Day Jay.
Shortly and a porter joined us just around the corner.
But for the here and the now, let's do this
sport today and in sport today. Nrl W Yeah Nah,
says returning Blackburn Superstar Porsche would been Wickliff. I don't
(03:23):
want sets of six, she says, I want a set
of four.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
I think I'm more looking forward to making babies.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I want to pop out like four of them. So
how that happens with NRLW. I'm not too short. I
guess the door is not completely closed.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
I really would have loved the opportunity to play there,
but at the moment, I really want.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Babies this year.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
I beg her in her late thirties worth four kids
on the toe to turn up to the NRLW and
still raw anyway. Channel Harris Tavita, though he's good with
sets of six, even if he has to play hooker,
not a position he is accustomed to.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
Happy was hot, Yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't that fun.
But yeah, when you've got good plays around your.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Mess of easier.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Yeah, he reckons. Tackling props sucks.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Really No Northern Mystic Skip Mikayla socolech beats in Mickey
sock Beats thinks twenty eight might be up there too
mature for her to do a wicket and bugger off
over seeds.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
I don't know if I'd wanted overseas.
Speaker 6 (04:23):
I'm like twenty eight now.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Teams might not want to invest in an older player,
because I.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
Understand that teams like to invest in youth because you
can get.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
More out of them and the game day. Jay Judd
Flevel has explained what lured him back into the Breaker's
phun though.
Speaker 7 (04:39):
It wasn't on my ray day at all, but I
guess after talking to Dylan initially and had a phone
conversation with Tom Abercombe as well, and the more that
we kind of spoke, the more it kind of felt like, Yeah,
this is the place.
Speaker 6 (04:50):
In some ways it feels like a coming home.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Maybe he's just a workaholic, Ram's advisor to All Black's
head coach breakers associate coach. Yeah, he's a suck of
a punishment as our game day Jay. And that's sport today,
fifteens versus sevens. We're talking the advancement of women's rugby
here on the program and we're joined now by New
(05:13):
Zealand Rugby Union's head of women's high Performance, Hannah Porter. Hannah,
Welcome to the show. Hannah, Hi, Hey, does he how
you going? I'm going very well, probably not quite as
good as Porsche woodmin Wickler forp double d as I
like to call it, which I probably shouldn't. But back
into the fold again of the black Ferns, which is
(05:34):
massive news for the defense of the Cup, but it does,
I suppose, bring more into perspective the nature of pathways
through to that top level with the way heina, because
from what I can gather right now, it's not exactly
straight forward from sevens maybe to League, then back to
MPC maybe Super Rugby opicky to the black Ferns.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Is there a particular path.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
That Enzer are working on or working with to get
the best out of our Wahina athletes.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Oh look, I think that there's different pathways. Right. There's
those that have been professionals for thirteen years, which is
the likes of Porsche and firstly just on Porsche wrapped.
To have her back in the fold should be incredible
if obviously still needs to make the team, but incredible
and whatever kind of environment she's in, both on and
off the field, brings a whole lot of leadership and
been there and done that mindset, which is really helpful
(06:27):
obviously when you're working on Pinnacle events. So there's the
likes of how do we provide opportunities for those athletes
that have been in the game for a long time
and it's not like the men's game where at the
end of their career they go overseas and sit in
southern France and earn a bit of cash and drink
some wine. So how do we make sure that they
get experiences in more than one environment when they are playing.
(06:48):
So that's one part of the pathway, and the second
part is and we're still pretty young in it, if
I'm honest. So we've only been professional in the fifteens game.
We're coming up three years now, So until three years ago,
our pathways were still very amateur. We're still FPC non paid.
We're still going through kind of the under sixteens, under
eighteens in our provincial unions, which they've done an amazing job.
(07:11):
But what we're trying to do is turn that into
a high performance pathway. So it's really clear from when
you start at school, or you start at junior club,
or you come in from another sport at kind of
that younger age grade, what the steps are in the pathway.
And so we're two years into that and look really
please with we've got to We're in our third year
of our under twenties campaign, which is camp spased at
(07:31):
this stage. For the first year ever, we'll have an
under eighteen's campaign which will be camp spased this year.
We're going to combine coming up and we're just about
to announce something pretty exciting for our development athletes shortly
as well. So we are building it out, but it
has taken a little time.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Where do the sevens players fit into that. They're in
a different area but the same place, if that makes sense.
Where do they fit into this pathway? Is there a
direction for fifteens to move in to move back again,
you're trying to keep it separate. How does that combination exist?
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Yeah, so we've been pretty clear on I suppose our
intention that we want our very best players playing in
pinnacle events. So whether that be the Olympics or will
that be Rugby World Cups, we want our very best athletes,
so they could be playing sevens or fifteens. We think
we can transition between the two programs easily. We think
we've got the athletes that we can do that, so
they're coming from sevens into fifteens or vice versa. I
(08:25):
think the difference with our sevens athletes is I suppose
what I mentioned to start off with that our thirteen
years professional and so fifteens is just catching up. So
what you see now is I suppose the transition I
think moving forward you'll see I suppose more of a
transition from our fifteens into the sevens campaign as they
catch up on professionalism, and the same with our sevens
into our fifteens, and it may not just be around
(08:47):
Rugby World Cups. I think the change of the global
calendar allows our sevens athletes to come into fifteens easier
than it has done before, and so you might see
again our very best athletes not only just coming over.
At Rugby World Cups or Olympic events, you may see
that transition happening more often.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Is that necessarily fair on the dedicated fifteens players that
run through For example, this year they run through Opicky,
They put on their work in there and then a
seven star just rolls in and swipes their position.
Speaker 5 (09:16):
We wouldn't classic as that. I think again, if we're
really serious about winning pinnaciniance, we need our best players.
So I think in the fifteens game, what you'll see
is you'll have fifteen specialists at athletes. But again we're
three years into it. I think we're still a cycle away,
so we're fully four years away from I think having
a really specialist fifteens players that will only play fifteens,
and then you'll have a bunch of crossover athletes. But
(09:39):
no different to LW knocking on the door and asking
for our players because they they are the best in
the world at the moment.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
It's there a want to draw of that in together
though from the players too, to have those things running simultaneously.
But still being able to combine is something that players
are interested in being engaged with.
Speaker 5 (09:59):
YEP, and we talked to them often about it, so
there is a real openness. I think Alan Bunting's done
an amazing job this year was supposed to transparency of
our sevens athletes coming in. This is the third time
we've done it, this is the third World Cup they've
come in. Everyone's been really aware of the plan to
start off with, so there's real transparency within the two
groups of athletes. And you've got two groups of athletes
(10:19):
that want to do everything right, and not just everything
in rugby, but everything every woman's sport. You've got some real,
really motivated athletes that actually just want to be the
best they can be in a whole lot of different things.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
And a porter joins as she's ahead of women's High
Performance for end z Are. This idea was thrown up
by the Breakdown team a couple of days ago about
having the best athletes in rugby playing Opicki as opposed
to playing on the sevens circuit, saying maybe that detracts
from Ovicky because the rock stars aren't there, they're off
(10:52):
overseas playing sevens. Is there a need to address that,
do you think, hannit.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
Yeah, we're looking at that. It's a live conversation at
the moment. Obviously, the Women's Global Calendar is just about
to be signed off and announced that that will allow
us to have a look at our domestic competitions and
make sure they're actually lined up with our international windows.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
That's really important.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
For us for a whole lot of reasons. So a
little bit watch the space in regards to where Opaki
will be played and if it's not doesn't overlap the
seven Series. We would love to see more SEVENS athletes
or just the best athletes playing in our domestic competitions, right,
and that's really important for people watching the game, it's
really important for commercialism, it's really important for growing that
(11:31):
domestic competition out. So I think, just watch that space
over the next couple of months.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
I'm presuming you are hand in hand with other women's
associations are globally Seven's fifteen so we think can gel together.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
Yeah, absolutely, And that's been one really pleasing thing working
on the Women's Global Calendar is trying to step away
and say how do we how do we make the
best competitions we can for our females and what could
that look like in regards to are their windows where
they aren't playing in New Zealand but they're playing in
a different competition, but they can come back just to
get that experience as I spoke about, because it doesn't
(12:05):
typically happen after a woman's career, and if you have
a look at Porsche and what she wants to do
after her career, and they're thinking about family and work
and all these other things. So how do we actually
provide that opportunity within the player's career With New Zealand rugby.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
As it stands, is seven's more lucrative. Is there much
of a difference how much money were talking about here?
What's the temptation I suppose to keep women playing one
or the other if it doesn't get integrated.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Yeah, there's a slight difference at the moment, but that's
again that's all part of the conversation we're having at
the moment. How do we make sure that both codes
are seen as just as I suppose, exciting as each other,
and so that we're not making choices around the money
side of things. We're actually just making choices in regards
to what competitions they want to play them.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
And finally in Hannah Porter, thanks so much for joining
us on ar's your day off you down in Tope,
we'll having some fun with the family. It's been quite
a fantastic last couple of weeks for the women's game,
has it not. It's really lifted the profile of the game.
We've seen some fantastic examples of just how good the
women's game can be.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
Absolutely, the final of Opiky, what a great game down
for the last seconds of that. I think the broadcast
numbers showed why having it at primetime is also important.
And then the crossover game and whilst we didn't get
the conditions we wanted for that game, we certainly it
was kind of two years and the planning was Rugby
Australia and we managed to pick the only day that
(13:30):
was having a cyclone this year so far, But it
was I suppose the intention is there, how do we
keep working with Rugby Australia to grow those two competitions.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Do you think you'll carry on having finals of Opicky
in that prime time spot? Was it worth that move?
Speaker 6 (13:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:47):
Look, it was the best numbers that we've had all season.
I think We'll work with Sky obviously and the Superby
Pacific Draw to see what we can do for next year.
But I think it absolutely showed that if we put
it at a time where there's a whole lot of
people watching the game, that they will chune in and
watch it and hopefully they really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
And when get the Australians involved, it might be that pinnacle,
but we've got to wait for that as well. You're
still with everything else, still talks going on, yep, and.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
Talks underway and talks We've been in aligned with Australia
for the last couple of years, so conversations there are
really good, but there's obviously a few stakeholders to work
with to make sure that we get that right.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
It's all on the up and up. And he's in
a rugby Head of Women's High Performance, Hannah Porter thinks,
so much for your time. Now back to enjoying your
holiday again. I apologize, thank you.
Speaker 5 (14:31):
No problem, see you lead.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
The right call is your call on eight hundred eighty
Sports Talk Call on your home of Sports used Talk ZB.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
It's Hanna Porter there joining SGZ in charge of high
Performance for women's Rugby for n z Ah.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Some interesting thoughts.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Here from Hannah around the future. Plainly, the two codes
have to be aligned. I think at the moment they're
fighting against each other in a sense, and I don't
thing that does anybody any good at all. Ends that
are the athletes. If anyone's going to benefit from this,
(15:14):
it's going to be the NRLW across the ditch. We'll
just cherry to pick players when they can. And what
I found interesting in that it says a lot about
my memory that thirteen years the sevens game has been professional,
the women's fifteen game has only been professional three years.
As a babe, it's tiny, it is still learning, still
going through growing pains. The combination of both of these
(15:38):
formats it needs to happen reasonably fast, and it sounds
like Hannah's working at that, and then Hand's working to
and along with their crew, combine both Opekie and the
Super Rugby women's game in Australia. Bring it to a head,
give it some relevance, give it a stamp of authority,
give it some cohesion. So my question to you eight
(16:03):
hundred and eighty ten eighty and this was raised by
the crew on the breakdown over the weekend. How important
is seven stars when it comes to opicky, How important
is it to get the best women's players in the country,
representing their franchise, their club, whatever you want to call it,
(16:29):
at the pinnacle of women's rugby here in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
How important is that.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Was if you look at the games and there were
stars all over the show in that final game, and
people want to go and see the likes of poor
Shirt Woodman Wetcliffe, of course they do real hate Demain.
They want to go and see Sylvia Brunt, some of
the new crew coming through, and people's eyes pretty wide
(16:59):
open when they see them play Braxton Sarrenson McGee for example.
That I think it's extraordinarily important for the women's game
to have the best players they have playing at that
top level, playing in Opiki, not gallivanting off halfway around
(17:20):
the world, playing in a sevens competition, which, let's face it,
with all due respect to sevens, it's a bunch of fun.
And my neighbors DJ Forbes, I don't want I'm rocking
around popping me one. But the game is staggering, is
dying that the game's relevance now sets with the Olympics,
doesn't it really honestly, And the fact that these players
(17:41):
are playing in that sevens area franchise, what are you
going to call it? I think it detracts from most
important thing of women's rugby here, which is opik, which
is the fifteen a side game. Sounds like they're joining
them together. But for you as a fan, and even
if you're not a fan of women's rugby, you're a
(18:03):
passing fan, like you watch the final for example, because
it was forced upon you at seven o'clock on a
Saturday night, probably more important for the casual fan. How
important is it to have names in opi ki to
actually attract the eyeballs and get people along to the game.
How important is that? Eight hundred eighty ten eighty. I
(18:23):
think they've got to focus everything they have, all of
the star power they can get, and point it all
in the same direction, gel it all together. And unfortunately
for the sevens, which is only important, let's face in
the Olympic times.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
They've got to suffer.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
We've got to look at making the fifteens as professional
as we can sooner rather than later. Agree disagree? You
let me no lines were open? Oh eight hundred eighty
ten eighty twenty five past at seven Game Day. Jay
Judd flevel to join us later in the piece. That's
the sports look on News Talks AB. You can text
nine two nine two. That'll cost you a standard at
(18:58):
text charge, But oh, eight hundred and eighty ten eighty
won't cost you a damn thing. My friends, your friends
with the.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
You no need for the DMO.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
We've got the breakdown on sports Talk call eight hundred
News Talk.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
G we did he isn't it? Seven eight Sports Talk
here and News Talks heb It's the counter to this
raspy old voice, now, isn't it. I'm to ask all
the grave lines rapping one hundred eighty ten eighty how
was important? How important is it for OPIK for women's
rugby to have the pick the best players in the
(19:47):
country to play in that competition as opposed to bouncing
around the world playing in a sevens competition, which is
fun and games and probably less injurious. But I don't
think it's of such important. They've got to get the
women back playing at OPIKY.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
All of the rock stars.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
They have to tell me I'm wrong, Well, Conrad, just
agree with me.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
How are you yeah, yeah, hi Darcy, I agree with
you one hundred percent, but I'm going to make some
more points the Super Rugby Open. He is a good
step forward for women's rugby. I just I'm a generally
positive person. I love the Hurricanes, I love to rugby,
both in and women, and so yeah, it's just the
one negative in my life is I'm so over seven.
Speaker 6 (20:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I'm gonna give a bit of an example. Okay, So
the New York Times states that Spain just beat the
New Zealand men's rugby team for the second consecutive time,
and that the on the women's side of things, Right
on the women's side of things, we having these token
mirrors in terms of the funding. How much money does
(20:56):
the ended are a few actually make out of Women's
seven that needs that should be released and it should
be put aside. And I think that some of that,
I mean just the funding models, because because I see
the seven program and it's almost like, you know, you're
not allowed to question the funding models on it.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
I'm interested because the it's also funded by Sporting Center,
isn't it because it's on the Olympic program, so they
take a week. It's only a small amount but they
take enough. Yes, so what that does to the control
of the seven side and the players involved, how much
they take out of that as a payment. It also
(21:38):
brings a tricky balance to a conrad exactly.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Yeah, and maybe they need to be a bit more
transparent over it. I mean, like I said, I'm positive
about all other parts of the rugby, although I'd love
to see Jordy Barrett and Artie srv are playing for
the Hurricanes and maybe you know, a bit more money
kind of funneled that way, would you know a sevens
programs guide which means that Jordy and Artie can play
for us. I'm a happy man.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
They're not playing. They're not playing sevens, I know.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
But I'm just about the funding.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
You know, money, there's not that we know, comrade. There's
not enough money for everything. There's not enough money for anything,
I'd suffice to say right now. And how in z
are deal with that because it's always been very much
all blacks at the top of the pyramids. And that
model can't last because they distract from the grassroots. They
(22:33):
don't like water, those plants, they won't last for you,
and suddenly they'll have a top heavy situation and anything
that's top heavy, all it'll do is collapse. So they've
got to really address that the money made by New
Zealand rugby isn't all for the All Blacks.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
It can't be. They've got a future.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Proof Yeah, good points.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Okay, thank you, that's all right, comrade, thanks very much
for ringing up real Please to have you on the show.
If you'd like to make like Conrad be all means
please do oh one hundred and eighty ten eighty three
phone number nationwide you can text nineteen to nine two.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
That is z b z B.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
How important is it for the Seven Stars to be
playing opicky? Would it drag you along to the game
or More's the point because it's some interesting conversations last
week about it.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
Well, no one really goes to opiki.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
So when no one goes to the NPC either, right,
it still gets funded. And up until this year no
one went a Super Rugby either. Just ask the Hurricanes.
No one goes there, so you can't base it on crowd.
But when it comes to eyeballs the A, it's the
timing of it, like the final was with Mata too
as they got beaten and a great game of rugby
(23:45):
or the Blues fantastic the timing seven o'clock. A lot
of people were forced to watch it because I either
that or the Highlanders.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
We you know what, I'm gonna watch this instead.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
It's a final.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
They four hundred thousand people by some tellies. This is good.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
But surely for the rest of the competition, if you've
got people playing that you want to see that our
household names. You want to have them in that competition
right from the start and then aim that towards the
World Cup in four years.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
That's got to be.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
A program that has some consistency, some continuity so people
know what it is. Because the moment looks okay, that's great.
This team's got these great players. Where so and so
ah right know, she's off in the sevens program, playing
in the back end of South Africa in a competition
that it's not even here anymore, not even in New Zealand.
(24:37):
But players are going away to play and I get it.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
It's professional.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
It's where Hannah porter On before they're going to molder
this together, push it over there and make one product
that attracts eyeballs. So again I ask you that question. No.
One hundred and eighty ten eighty love to hear your
thoughts on that. How important is it that stars are
in opicky? Should they be fully focused on the fifteen
a side game and lead the sevens to one side
(25:03):
the only year with the sevens of any and to
the sporting populace? Tell me if I'm wrong this Olympic year.
Then it gets interesting beyond that, it's gone from here.
It's no longer in New Zealand even now. And then
you catch it the middle of the night somewhere over season. Oh,
that's kind of fun because it's kind of fun game.
But otherwise, wait, oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty lines
(25:24):
are open. We've got a number of texts and I'll.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Whip through a couple of those for you.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Shortly, Steve with the question, what's up with Porsche? I'm retired,
I'm going to play league. Damn, they don't want me.
I'm not retired now, and I'd like a paycheck. Well,
if it was that simple, I'd love for her to
say that I tried to get her on the show,
but she's only to impress conferences. Because some interesting questions
around that, but it couldn't pop put them to her.
(25:54):
So there you go. I think maybe she's still had
a game in her legs and she figured she was
going to do it in rugby league and now that's
not there, And what's that? Well, I enjoyed myself so
much playing rugby. I really enjoy playing sleeper rugby.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Oh biggie.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
I think col Whites have another crack because she was
good at center. So maybe there's that. So I hope
that answers your question, Stee, But again I don't know.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
It's couldn't talk to.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Her, Darcy, could you be need to tell me how
you pronounce hey Demand's name right now? Hey, I spoke
to her a couple of times now, and it is Demand.
As much as we all want to say Dumont because
it looks like Billmont and we want to pretend we're French,
is demand, according to her, someone else is the same thing.
(26:35):
I just told you say her name. I really want
to say Dumont and people do and they still do.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
But Demand.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
So she told me, Ah, Darcy, how many abs play
sevens for New Zealand. None? It's one or the other.
And seven's is a special sport with little and coln
with the fifteen game, it is but when it comes
to the women's version, there's a few more similarities in
the way the women play fifteens and seven finding gaps
(26:59):
and ridiculous acceleration, not as physical as brutal as the men's.
Look I can stand to be. Tell me I'm wrong,
it's fine. Just give me a ring that You look
at some of the wahini that play in the seven
side and the screaming, and they're coming back now, aren't
they for the fifteens?
Speaker 4 (27:21):
A lot of them.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
So the specialists fifteens girls aren't getting these roles because
the sevens rock stars are wandering back in and flogging
their jobs. Now, han a porter told me before, they
don't really see it like that. It's about getting the
best athletes for the Pinnacle events, which is one of them.
I can't help think there's a few noses out of joint.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
It have to be right.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
I'm playing Opiki, I'm doing really, really well. And then
the fancy pants from over the Road sevens, Megan's Money
having a good time, suddenly takes my jersey because she
wants to go to a Pinnacle event. I don't think
that's right.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Is that right?
Speaker 4 (27:57):
AnyWho?
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Let's get real women's are so called rugby provides. Let's
get real women's See this is Paul Yu need punctuation.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
It's really helpful.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
It's the difference between knowing your shit and knowing your shit.
Just put the apostrophe and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Let's get real women's So called super rugby fvides rent
for the stadium, landlord wages for the security, and the
odd chip on the ground for the seagulls. No, it's aspirational.
It's a lot more than that. It's a very limited
(28:32):
view poll. The growth area in rugby in this country
is women so much more room to go just quite
you haven't noticed half of us are women, okay, and
so jed I have to open up. They have to
have a pathway and it might take teen or fifteen years,
(28:56):
but they've.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
Got to do it. It's their job.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Women's sevens that loses less money than the women's fifteens
do more pressing. That is Mona are the bust and
meant to be relocated to the Islands from Auckland. But
none of the players want to go news to me.
But thanks very much for their heads up. Oh eight
one hundred eighty ten eighty lines are open. Well we
(29:21):
can text nineteen niney two.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
That is z B z B.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
This is news talk zb.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Oh make game day Jay Chad Flabbel up sooner rather
than later to talk about his move back to the
breaker is fun, interesting maneuver. I want to have him,
you though, give me a ring hundred eighty ten eighty.
We need we need it focused, don't we? The fifteens
needs to be first and foremost the sevens and after
(29:50):
thought for the women's game. Go and tell me I'm wrong,
all right or something? Add at eighty ten eighty give
us a RINGO.
Speaker 6 (30:02):
Good look at you, you tech?
Speaker 2 (30:09):
How'd you name the door to the.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
Stilling drunking budels umping your cards?
Speaker 2 (30:21):
Jeer, it's not you, it's not bad. It's seven forty
(30:42):
three sports O care on that news talk at the
seeds at be a couple more takes of Rolling in Darcy.
I will no longer yell the commentators for mispronouncing her name.
It's teaming now, isn't it. You think it's the mom
But all you got to do is ask the person
they tend to tell you And I'm more worried about
(31:04):
rugby girls leaving and playing league again. But if they've
got a structured international and local season where they know
when they're wanted, how much they're getting, and there's a
pathway through that, they're less likely to go and play
rugby league. Rugby league hasn't got a World Cup like
(31:24):
women's rugby has not even close. I think it drags
enough people in there, Darcy. The Women's World Cup was
according to the ends that are and media going to
change the game and take it to the next level.
Tell me what has it done please? In terms of
growth and popularity, I haven't got numbers in front of me.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
I won't lie to you.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
But the progression of the game at a younger level
four women has accelerated and they put that down to
the World Cup. There's a lot more interest in the
game with our young women. They won't to play the game.
And as far as the growth of popularity, I suppose
it's a timescale. I don't think you'd expected to accelerate
(32:12):
at MAC ten. It doesn't work like that. But slowly
but surely it will increase. And when you have a
competition that increases in link and intensity and quality like Odpicky,
you are going to start getting more and more traction
for that game, and that's what they're looking at. It's
not happening overnight, but you'd like to think it will happen.
All right, enough of this, let's talk some hopes. It's
(32:34):
a much better idea. Well it is now because oh mate,
jud Flavel joins us now on the program, got himself
another job. Good evening, Jud, good evening, dares he congratulations
on the new role came out the end of last week.
You are now I'd say assistant coach, but it's the
associate head coach of the Breakers. What's in a name?
(32:56):
Jud tell us what's on your plate?
Speaker 6 (32:57):
Now?
Speaker 7 (32:59):
Yeah, well I just decided, well, what's another job in
news on basketball I can take at the moment, But
if I haven't got my hand and so involved in
the Breakers yet. But no, look really excited about getting
back to a club that is has shaped me as
a coach and shaped me in a lot of ways
(33:21):
with the values that the that the club used to
have and that's kind of been part of my journey
where I've taken that with me and uh and to
get back to the club that has given so much
to me is it's exciting and obviously with the new
direction of the new owner of Mark Mature, but his
vision of what he has and but a lot of
the names, the familiarity of the names Belcher, every Crombie
(33:43):
and the Blackwells really sort of clinched it for me
and understanding that well they're really serious about, you know,
steering the ship and what they want.
Speaker 6 (33:54):
And yeah, I was happy to really jump on Coach Kop.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Tell us your relationship with him, what you see in
him bringing because he's retained his job.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
Not many people have after that ownership swap.
Speaker 7 (34:07):
Yeah, it's right, Like I have, you know, caught up
with Cop a few times last year just by attending practices.
You know, at the time I was there with my
tall blacks hat, just watching the guys, and you got
the chance to meet and have a few chats with him,
just sort of casual conversations. And look, we had a
good chat on the phone as well, and real good
(34:28):
chat from from all takes like he is somebody that
you know, obviously had his hand or has his challenges
last year, and I think that was probably a lot
to do with probably some of the moves that were
made for him with roster and stuff like that. But really,
you know, from what I took away from it, like
a guy that's that's really like as in his words,
(34:49):
like a coach that really wants to empower and get
the most out of his coaches as well, and saying that,
you know, he wants people to to to share their
voices and share their knowledge. And so I really feel
like I can help in terms of that with this league,
with the ambl A league that I've spent sixteen seasons
(35:12):
with and then certainly thirteen of those seasons with the Breakers,
So there's a lot there that I feel like I
can sort of assist with and help. But yeah, really
kind of a young coach and an aspiring coach and
brings a lot of good positive energy, and I think
that's going to be a good situation to really step into.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
This Week's really well with your role as head coach
of the Tall Blacks, because you're engaged some of the
better players and we hope more New Zealanders do actually
join up with the roster the Breakers, So.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
That is good. What do they get out of it?
What do they want from you?
Speaker 6 (35:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (35:44):
Look, I think you know a lot of my conversations
with them has been they want to bridge that connection
back with the Kiwi basketball community, and that a lot
to do with the players, of course, but also their
intention is to start up the Breakers Academy again, you know,
and which served a really great place for producing future
Breakers players and to the roster. And it used to
(36:07):
be a time that we had to recruit offshore to
accumulate talent. But then you know Andre Lamanas and it
was his idea of the Breakers Academy, and that was
my first responsibility really was setting that up. But the
vision was, hey, build our own. We're good enough, and
if we have Kiwis that want to grow up and
(36:27):
put on the Breakers singlet, like every teenager that's watching
a Breakers game, we want them to have the dream
that they can put on that singlet one day.
Speaker 6 (36:34):
But those things just don't happen.
Speaker 7 (36:36):
So they need the infrastructure, they need the resources, and
they need the expertise.
Speaker 6 (36:39):
And this is something that the Breakers wanting to do.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Now.
Speaker 7 (36:41):
If we expand on that and say like this is
where our whole country doesn't matter if you're a teenager
or if you're a mid twenties someone like a Taylor
Britt who's been carving out in his role and development
in New zeal And NBL now gets another shot at
you know, plying has trade in the Australian NBL. So
there's so many I guess Kiwis that are just naturally
(37:03):
wanting to be here because this is home. Now, we
can't keep them more. You know, we develop some and
some that are developed offshore and they're hard to get
back sometimes because they're on great money. But what we
can do is continue to build the next ones. And
that's where I think by having the Tour Blacks involved
in this, and when I say Tour Blocks obviously myself,
(37:25):
that really shows a lot of continuity and also the
approach of yes, looks, let's grab the best players that
we can, but let's look at our backyard first and
let's have a look at some of the homegrown talent
that we have.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
The previous management of the Breakers paid lip service to
that concept. We've heard it all the time, but it
never really got any traction. I'm presuming you reach back
to those heady days under the Black Walls and say
we can actually do that that we're just not spit
talking here. This is something we really want to do
and because of your engagement early on the piece back
in those days, they know it's going to work. So
(38:04):
you've joined up with this role having full faith and
what happens above you that they're going to give you
that space to grow this side and grow local talent.
Speaker 7 (38:13):
Yeah, and look and that that may not be necessarily
me hitting the academy.
Speaker 6 (38:17):
That it won't be me hitting the academy.
Speaker 7 (38:19):
But I think what it's shown before is that, I mean,
everybody can have a vision, but the actual the actual
execution of it is really there's a lot of hard work.
Speaker 6 (38:29):
To put into it.
Speaker 7 (38:30):
And I can I can say that there's many hours
and early mornings that you know that I got to
spend in that gym, not me, not just me, but
a lot of coaches that we had come in.
Speaker 6 (38:42):
As well, and a lot of those athletes and players.
Speaker 7 (38:44):
But it definitely got to show that within a real
short span of time span, we were able to really
change and we became the benchmark of the NBR with
not just hanging banners championship banners, but also the development
system that we had. So and that's how I got
plucked out and head hunted from the Southeast Melbourne Phoenix
(39:05):
as they saw what was going on and they wanted
to build their blueprint.
Speaker 6 (39:08):
So you know, yeah, the club has I guess the
last few.
Speaker 7 (39:12):
Years priorized other things and that's to their prerogative. But
it just for me personally and seeing the growth for
these young basketball this is going to be one of
the best strategic moves that I think that this country
will make.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
It was more instrumental in getting your signature, Chad Flavel.
Was it Dylan Boucher or was it the black Holes?
Speaker 7 (39:32):
Well, yeah, if truth is to be told, I guess
it's a combination of both.
Speaker 6 (39:36):
I really Obviously a.
Speaker 7 (39:39):
Relationship with Dylan goes way back to when we're playing
against them with each other and with the tall Blacks
in our club teams here in the New Zealand. But
so I really feel, you know, he understands that the
landscape of this country.
Speaker 6 (39:54):
He also understands the Australian NBL.
Speaker 7 (39:57):
Whenever you jump into any any kind of partnership or
collaborate with people, it's always you know so much, I
guess productive if you've got people with the same mindset,
same vision. The clincher though, was when the Blackwell's names
got thrown in there, and I haven't even heard the
conversation with Paul or Liz, but once I heard that
they were, and I knew that this was serious.
Speaker 6 (40:19):
It just wasn't talk.
Speaker 7 (40:20):
And as you say before, like sometimes people can just
say things for the sake of it, but you know
where where quality people are that you know you're not
only going to get the best out of yourself there
in that position, but the.
Speaker 6 (40:31):
Best out of the club. And so this is yeah,
that was That was.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
The clincher by far. I thought it'd be something along
those lines. Thank you very much. Game Day Jay Judd
Flavel now back involved with the Breakers again. You hear
that Dylan Boucher was one thing, Tom Abercrombie was another.
But they're black holes. Damn. Where do I sign this
news talks there? B it's seven minutes to eight. I
(41:07):
was walking around doing a gig once for the Breakers.
I still a lot of work for them, and you know,
the Wednesday night meet the teams and all this stuff,
and I was chatting away and someone talked to me
about the great effect of the black holes that had.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
On the team.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Oh and oh yeah, yeah, I don't even know who
they are so they like to keep it that way.
And then I was chatting to the sky Da da
da da, and then he walked off and I took
this one guy for ages. He's always at these things.
Other he's just like a massive fan. He's really polain
and really nice and Hi, Darcy, I was going to mate,
how have you walked away? In the same Blake come
up to me and then he goes, I thought you
(41:39):
didn't know the Black Horles, I said, I don't. He goes,
that's Paul Blackhall. You've just been talking to him. I'm
like no, And that sums them up. For years. He'd
been there, I'd been at games, talking to the things.
I've been doing post matches, I've been doing all of that.
And not once did he roll out and go, Hi,
I'm Paul Blackwall own the club. He was just get
(42:00):
a mate, how are you see get overro you? Oh yeah, no,
I'm great.
Speaker 4 (42:03):
Sold to the earth.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
And that says everything to me about the Black Wolves.
This is the same don't care about themselves. They care
about the team. So pleased that they are back, and Paul,
I'm not going to be a pr spin doctor for
the ends that are thank you very much, although the
way this job pays, maybe I should. And thanks for
(42:26):
producing them. Darcy Watergrave back again tomorrow at seven mac
slashes up Next.
Speaker 1 (42:37):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Waldegrave
from News Talk zed B.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
It's seven minutes after seven sports Talk time. Hello, it's
a Tuesday evening, twenty second of April twenty twenty. Fine,
my name is Darcy Watergrove. I have chosen not to
have a ridiculously short week. It's sure enough as it is. Anyway, old,
take what I'm given. Who's a compliant broadcaster?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Me?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Coming up in this hour on the program, we're going
to talk a bit of basketball, and we're going to
talk a lot of women's rugby and the gelling of
the sevens game and the fifteen's game. It's a little
rickety at the moment. It's a little square peg round holes.
It doesn't really fit. Why do I say that? Well,
I'll go through it with you later in the piece,
(01:16):
But at the moment, she's a bit back and forth.
The sevens play for a bit of the World Series
and then they kind of come back and steal all
the positions of the fifteen skills that play through opiki
and present to particularly well now they don't get the
role at the World Cup. Basically, how is this going
to gel together? How is new Zealand Rugby going to
build a formidable female force in rugby union. Here Inaa,
(01:40):
we're joined by Hannah Porter shortly. She's a New Zealand
Rugby's head of high performance for women's rugby, and talk
to her about the gelling of the two codes, the
fifteens and the seven. Toward the end of the program,
we're going to talk to my old Make Game Day
Jay And I can say that because I think he
(02:01):
is a friend, well hope, So we'll suppose. We'll find
out when I get him on the blower later on.
And this our jud flavel as you know him as
a he's a basketball coach. He's working with the Rams.
He managed to pick up a couple of consecutive titles
of them. He's not with them anymore. It's just kind
of lending them a helping hand. He's being a kind
of an advisor. He's also the head coach of the
(02:23):
Tall Black's quite a handy basketball team that represent the
nation in their Black singment. And he's just decided to
go back to the Breakers, how white ow not. He's
I think they call it an associate coach with the Breakers.
More of these American names aren't what even means. But
he's back in the fold again. And when he used
to be the assistant coach of the Breaker's way back then,
he used to join me every game day a mild
(02:46):
radio station, hence the name game Day J. So Game
Day Jay is back to talk about his new role
the Breakers, Where does it fit, why do you do it?
And what happens next with not only the Rams.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
But the Tall Blacks too.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
All that and more on coming with Game Day Jay.
Shortly and a porter joined us just around the corner.
But for the here and the now, let's do this
sport today and in sport today. Nrl W Yeah Nah,
says returning Blackburn Superstar Porsche would been Wickliff. I don't
(03:23):
want sets of six, she says, I want a set
of four.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
I think I'm more looking forward to making babies.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I want to pop out like four of them. So
how that happens with NRLW. I'm not too short. I
guess the door is not completely closed.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
I really would have loved the opportunity to play there,
but at the moment, I really want.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Babies this year.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
I beg her in her late thirties worth four kids
on the toe to turn up to the NRLW and
still raw anyway. Channel Harris Tavita, though he's good with
sets of six, even if he has to play hooker,
not a position he is accustomed to.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
Happy was hot, Yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't that fun.
But yeah, when you've got good plays around your.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Mess of easier.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Yeah, he reckons. Tackling props sucks.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Really No Northern Mystic Skip Mikayla socolech beats in Mickey
sock Beats thinks twenty eight might be up there too
mature for her to do a wicket and bugger off
over seeds.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
I don't know if I'd wanted overseas.
Speaker 6 (04:23):
I'm like twenty eight now.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Teams might not want to invest in an older player,
because I.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
Understand that teams like to invest in youth because you
can get.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
More out of them and the game day. Jay Judd
Flevel has explained what lured him back into the Breaker's
phun though.
Speaker 7 (04:39):
It wasn't on my ray day at all, but I
guess after talking to Dylan initially and had a phone
conversation with Tom Abercombe as well, and the more that
we kind of spoke, the more it kind of felt like, Yeah,
this is the place.
Speaker 6 (04:50):
In some ways it feels like a coming home.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Maybe he's just a workaholic, Ram's advisor to All Black's
head coach breakers associate coach. Yeah, he's a suck of
a punishment as our game day Jay. And that's sport today,
fifteens versus sevens. We're talking the advancement of women's rugby
here on the program and we're joined now by New
(05:13):
Zealand Rugby Union's head of women's high Performance, Hannah Porter. Hannah,
Welcome to the show. Hannah, Hi, Hey, does he how
you going? I'm going very well, probably not quite as
good as Porsche woodmin Wickler forp double d as I
like to call it, which I probably shouldn't. But back
into the fold again of the black Ferns, which is
(05:34):
massive news for the defense of the Cup, but it does,
I suppose, bring more into perspective the nature of pathways
through to that top level with the way heina, because
from what I can gather right now, it's not exactly
straight forward from sevens maybe to League, then back to
MPC maybe Super Rugby opicky to the black Ferns.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Is there a particular path.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
That Enzer are working on or working with to get
the best out of our Wahina athletes.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Oh look, I think that there's different pathways. Right. There's
those that have been professionals for thirteen years, which is
the likes of Porsche and firstly just on Porsche wrapped.
To have her back in the fold should be incredible
if obviously still needs to make the team, but incredible
and whatever kind of environment she's in, both on and
off the field, brings a whole lot of leadership and
been there and done that mindset, which is really helpful
(06:27):
obviously when you're working on Pinnacle events. So there's the
likes of how do we provide opportunities for those athletes
that have been in the game for a long time
and it's not like the men's game where at the
end of their career they go overseas and sit in
southern France and earn a bit of cash and drink
some wine. So how do we make sure that they
get experiences in more than one environment when they are playing.
(06:48):
So that's one part of the pathway, and the second
part is and we're still pretty young in it, if
I'm honest. So we've only been professional in the fifteens game.
We're coming up three years now, So until three years ago,
our pathways were still very amateur. We're still FPC non paid.
We're still going through kind of the under sixteens, under
eighteens in our provincial unions, which they've done an amazing job.
(07:11):
But what we're trying to do is turn that into
a high performance pathway. So it's really clear from when
you start at school, or you start at junior club,
or you come in from another sport at kind of
that younger age grade, what the steps are in the pathway.
And so we're two years into that and look really
please with we've got to We're in our third year
of our under twenties campaign, which is camp spased at
(07:31):
this stage. For the first year ever, we'll have an
under eighteen's campaign which will be camp spased this year.
We're going to combine coming up and we're just about
to announce something pretty exciting for our development athletes shortly
as well. So we are building it out, but it
has taken a little time.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Where do the sevens players fit into that. They're in
a different area but the same place, if that makes sense.
Where do they fit into this pathway? Is there a
direction for fifteens to move in to move back again,
you're trying to keep it separate. How does that combination exist?
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Yeah, so we've been pretty clear on I suppose our
intention that we want our very best players playing in
pinnacle events. So whether that be the Olympics or will
that be Rugby World Cups, we want our very best athletes,
so they could be playing sevens or fifteens. We think
we can transition between the two programs easily. We think
we've got the athletes that we can do that, so
they're coming from sevens into fifteens or vice versa. I
(08:25):
think the difference with our sevens athletes is I suppose
what I mentioned to start off with that our thirteen
years professional and so fifteens is just catching up. So
what you see now is I suppose the transition I
think moving forward you'll see I suppose more of a
transition from our fifteens into the sevens campaign as they
catch up on professionalism, and the same with our sevens
into our fifteens, and it may not just be around
(08:47):
Rugby World Cups. I think the change of the global
calendar allows our sevens athletes to come into fifteens easier
than it has done before, and so you might see
again our very best athletes not only just coming over.
At Rugby World Cups or Olympic events, you may see
that transition happening more often.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Is that necessarily fair on the dedicated fifteens players that
run through For example, this year they run through Opicky,
They put on their work in there and then a
seven star just rolls in and swipes their position.
Speaker 5 (09:16):
We wouldn't classic as that. I think again, if we're
really serious about winning pinnaciniance, we need our best players.
So I think in the fifteens game, what you'll see
is you'll have fifteen specialists at athletes. But again we're
three years into it. I think we're still a cycle away,
so we're fully four years away from I think having
a really specialist fifteens players that will only play fifteens,
and then you'll have a bunch of crossover athletes. But
(09:39):
no different to LW knocking on the door and asking
for our players because they they are the best in
the world at the moment.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
It's there a want to draw of that in together
though from the players too, to have those things running simultaneously.
But still being able to combine is something that players
are interested in being engaged with.
Speaker 5 (09:59):
YEP, and we talked to them often about it, so
there is a real openness. I think Alan Bunting's done
an amazing job this year was supposed to transparency of
our sevens athletes coming in. This is the third time
we've done it, this is the third World Cup they've
come in. Everyone's been really aware of the plan to
start off with, so there's real transparency within the two
groups of athletes. And you've got two groups of athletes
(10:19):
that want to do everything right, and not just everything
in rugby, but everything every woman's sport. You've got some real,
really motivated athletes that actually just want to be the
best they can be in a whole lot of different things.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
And a porter joins as she's ahead of women's High
Performance for end z Are. This idea was thrown up
by the Breakdown team a couple of days ago about
having the best athletes in rugby playing Opicki as opposed
to playing on the sevens circuit, saying maybe that detracts
from Ovicky because the rock stars aren't there, they're off
(10:52):
overseas playing sevens. Is there a need to address that,
do you think, hannit.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
Yeah, we're looking at that. It's a live conversation at
the moment. Obviously, the Women's Global Calendar is just about
to be signed off and announced that that will allow
us to have a look at our domestic competitions and
make sure they're actually lined up with our international windows.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
That's really important.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
For us for a whole lot of reasons. So a
little bit watch the space in regards to where Opaki
will be played and if it's not doesn't overlap the
seven Series. We would love to see more SEVENS athletes
or just the best athletes playing in our domestic competitions, right,
and that's really important for people watching the game, it's
really important for commercialism, it's really important for growing that
(11:31):
domestic competition out. So I think, just watch that space
over the next couple of months.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
I'm presuming you are hand in hand with other women's
associations are globally Seven's fifteen so we think can gel together.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
Yeah, absolutely, And that's been one really pleasing thing working
on the Women's Global Calendar is trying to step away
and say how do we how do we make the
best competitions we can for our females and what could
that look like in regards to are their windows where
they aren't playing in New Zealand but they're playing in
a different competition, but they can come back just to
get that experience as I spoke about, because it doesn't
(12:05):
typically happen after a woman's career, and if you have
a look at Porsche and what she wants to do
after her career, and they're thinking about family and work
and all these other things. So how do we actually
provide that opportunity within the player's career With New Zealand rugby.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
As it stands, is seven's more lucrative. Is there much
of a difference how much money were talking about here?
What's the temptation I suppose to keep women playing one
or the other if it doesn't get integrated.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Yeah, there's a slight difference at the moment, but that's
again that's all part of the conversation we're having at
the moment. How do we make sure that both codes
are seen as just as I suppose, exciting as each other,
and so that we're not making choices around the money
side of things. We're actually just making choices in regards
to what competitions they want to play them.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
And finally in Hannah Porter, thanks so much for joining
us on ar's your day off you down in Tope,
we'll having some fun with the family. It's been quite
a fantastic last couple of weeks for the women's game,
has it not. It's really lifted the profile of the game.
We've seen some fantastic examples of just how good the
women's game can be.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
Absolutely, the final of Opiky, what a great game down
for the last seconds of that. I think the broadcast
numbers showed why having it at primetime is also important.
And then the crossover game and whilst we didn't get
the conditions we wanted for that game, we certainly it
was kind of two years and the planning was Rugby
Australia and we managed to pick the only day that
(13:30):
was having a cyclone this year so far, But it
was I suppose the intention is there, how do we
keep working with Rugby Australia to grow those two competitions.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Do you think you'll carry on having finals of Opicky
in that prime time spot? Was it worth that move?
Speaker 6 (13:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:47):
Look, it was the best numbers that we've had all season.
I think We'll work with Sky obviously and the Superby
Pacific Draw to see what we can do for next year.
But I think it absolutely showed that if we put
it at a time where there's a whole lot of
people watching the game, that they will chune in and
watch it and hopefully they really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
And when get the Australians involved, it might be that pinnacle,
but we've got to wait for that as well. You're
still with everything else, still talks going on, yep, and.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
Talks underway and talks We've been in aligned with Australia
for the last couple of years, so conversations there are
really good, but there's obviously a few stakeholders to work
with to make sure that we get that right.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
It's all on the up and up. And he's in
a rugby Head of Women's High Performance, Hannah Porter thinks,
so much for your time. Now back to enjoying your
holiday again. I apologize, thank you.
Speaker 5 (14:31):
No problem, see you lead.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
The right call is your call on eight hundred eighty
Sports Talk Call on your home of Sports used Talk ZB.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
It's Hanna Porter there joining SGZ in charge of high
Performance for women's Rugby for n z Ah.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Some interesting thoughts.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Here from Hannah around the future. Plainly, the two codes
have to be aligned. I think at the moment they're
fighting against each other in a sense, and I don't
thing that does anybody any good at all. Ends that
are the athletes. If anyone's going to benefit from this,
(15:14):
it's going to be the NRLW across the ditch. We'll
just cherry to pick players when they can. And what
I found interesting in that it says a lot about
my memory that thirteen years the sevens game has been professional,
the women's fifteen game has only been professional three years.
As a babe, it's tiny, it is still learning, still
going through growing pains. The combination of both of these
(15:38):
formats it needs to happen reasonably fast, and it sounds
like Hannah's working at that, and then Hand's working to
and along with their crew, combine both Opekie and the
Super Rugby women's game in Australia. Bring it to a head,
give it some relevance, give it a stamp of authority,
give it some cohesion. So my question to you eight
(16:03):
hundred and eighty ten eighty and this was raised by
the crew on the breakdown over the weekend. How important
is seven stars when it comes to opicky, How important
is it to get the best women's players in the country,
representing their franchise, their club, whatever you want to call it,
(16:29):
at the pinnacle of women's rugby here in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
How important is that.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Was if you look at the games and there were
stars all over the show in that final game, and
people want to go and see the likes of poor
Shirt Woodman Wetcliffe, of course they do real hate Demain.
They want to go and see Sylvia Brunt, some of
the new crew coming through, and people's eyes pretty wide
(16:59):
open when they see them play Braxton Sarrenson McGee for example.
That I think it's extraordinarily important for the women's game
to have the best players they have playing at that
top level, playing in Opiki, not gallivanting off halfway around
(17:20):
the world, playing in a sevens competition, which, let's face it,
with all due respect to sevens, it's a bunch of fun.
And my neighbors DJ Forbes, I don't want I'm rocking
around popping me one. But the game is staggering, is
dying that the game's relevance now sets with the Olympics,
doesn't it really honestly, And the fact that these players
(17:41):
are playing in that sevens area franchise, what are you
going to call it? I think it detracts from most
important thing of women's rugby here, which is opik, which
is the fifteen a side game. Sounds like they're joining
them together. But for you as a fan, and even
if you're not a fan of women's rugby, you're a
(18:03):
passing fan, like you watch the final for example, because
it was forced upon you at seven o'clock on a
Saturday night, probably more important for the casual fan. How
important is it to have names in opi ki to
actually attract the eyeballs and get people along to the game.
How important is that? Eight hundred eighty ten eighty. I
(18:23):
think they've got to focus everything they have, all of
the star power they can get, and point it all
in the same direction, gel it all together. And unfortunately
for the sevens, which is only important, let's face in
the Olympic times.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
They've got to suffer.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
We've got to look at making the fifteens as professional
as we can sooner rather than later. Agree disagree? You
let me no lines were open? Oh eight hundred eighty
ten eighty twenty five past at seven Game Day. Jay
Judd flevel to join us later in the piece. That's
the sports look on News Talks AB. You can text
nine two nine two. That'll cost you a standard at
(18:58):
text charge, But oh, eight hundred and eighty ten eighty
won't cost you a damn thing. My friends, your friends
with the.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
You no need for the DMO.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
We've got the breakdown on sports Talk call eight hundred
News Talk.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
G we did he isn't it? Seven eight Sports Talk
here and News Talks heb It's the counter to this
raspy old voice, now, isn't it. I'm to ask all
the grave lines rapping one hundred eighty ten eighty how
was important? How important is it for OPIK for women's
rugby to have the pick the best players in the
(19:47):
country to play in that competition as opposed to bouncing
around the world playing in a sevens competition, which is
fun and games and probably less injurious. But I don't
think it's of such important. They've got to get the
women back playing at OPIKY.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
All of the rock stars.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
They have to tell me I'm wrong, Well, Conrad, just
agree with me.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
How are you yeah, yeah, hi Darcy, I agree with
you one hundred percent, but I'm going to make some
more points the Super Rugby Open. He is a good
step forward for women's rugby. I just I'm a generally
positive person. I love the Hurricanes, I love to rugby,
both in and women, and so yeah, it's just the
one negative in my life is I'm so over seven.
Speaker 6 (20:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I'm gonna give a bit of an example. Okay, So
the New York Times states that Spain just beat the
New Zealand men's rugby team for the second consecutive time,
and that the on the women's side of things, Right
on the women's side of things, we having these token
mirrors in terms of the funding. How much money does
(20:56):
the ended are a few actually make out of Women's
seven that needs that should be released and it should
be put aside. And I think that some of that,
I mean just the funding models, because because I see
the seven program and it's almost like, you know, you're
not allowed to question the funding models on it.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
I'm interested because the it's also funded by Sporting Center,
isn't it because it's on the Olympic program, so they
take a week. It's only a small amount but they
take enough. Yes, so what that does to the control
of the seven side and the players involved, how much
they take out of that as a payment. It also
(21:38):
brings a tricky balance to a conrad exactly.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Yeah, and maybe they need to be a bit more
transparent over it. I mean, like I said, I'm positive
about all other parts of the rugby, although I'd love
to see Jordy Barrett and Artie srv are playing for
the Hurricanes and maybe you know, a bit more money
kind of funneled that way, would you know a sevens
programs guide which means that Jordy and Artie can play
for us. I'm a happy man.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
They're not playing. They're not playing sevens, I know.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
But I'm just about the funding.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
You know, money, there's not that we know, comrade. There's
not enough money for everything. There's not enough money for anything,
I'd suffice to say right now. And how in z
are deal with that because it's always been very much
all blacks at the top of the pyramids. And that
model can't last because they distract from the grassroots. They
(22:33):
don't like water, those plants, they won't last for you,
and suddenly they'll have a top heavy situation and anything
that's top heavy, all it'll do is collapse. So they've
got to really address that the money made by New
Zealand rugby isn't all for the All Blacks.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
It can't be. They've got a future.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Proof Yeah, good points.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Okay, thank you, that's all right, comrade, thanks very much
for ringing up real Please to have you on the show.
If you'd like to make like Conrad be all means
please do oh one hundred and eighty ten eighty three
phone number nationwide you can text nineteen to nine two.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
That is z b z B.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
How important is it for the Seven Stars to be
playing opicky? Would it drag you along to the game
or More's the point because it's some interesting conversations last
week about it.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
Well, no one really goes to opiki.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
So when no one goes to the NPC either, right,
it still gets funded. And up until this year no
one went a Super Rugby either. Just ask the Hurricanes.
No one goes there, so you can't base it on crowd.
But when it comes to eyeballs the A, it's the
timing of it, like the final was with Mata too
as they got beaten and a great game of rugby
(23:45):
or the Blues fantastic the timing seven o'clock. A lot
of people were forced to watch it because I either
that or the Highlanders.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
We you know what, I'm gonna watch this instead.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
It's a final.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
They four hundred thousand people by some tellies. This is good.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
But surely for the rest of the competition, if you've
got people playing that you want to see that our
household names. You want to have them in that competition
right from the start and then aim that towards the
World Cup in four years.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
That's got to be.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
A program that has some consistency, some continuity so people
know what it is. Because the moment looks okay, that's great.
This team's got these great players. Where so and so
ah right know, she's off in the sevens program, playing
in the back end of South Africa in a competition
that it's not even here anymore, not even in New Zealand.
(24:37):
But players are going away to play and I get it.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
It's professional.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
It's where Hannah porter On before they're going to molder
this together, push it over there and make one product
that attracts eyeballs. So again I ask you that question. No.
One hundred and eighty ten eighty love to hear your
thoughts on that. How important is it that stars are
in opicky? Should they be fully focused on the fifteen
a side game and lead the sevens to one side
(25:03):
the only year with the sevens of any and to
the sporting populace? Tell me if I'm wrong this Olympic year.
Then it gets interesting beyond that, it's gone from here.
It's no longer in New Zealand even now. And then
you catch it the middle of the night somewhere over season. Oh,
that's kind of fun because it's kind of fun game.
But otherwise, wait, oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty lines
(25:24):
are open. We've got a number of texts and I'll.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Whip through a couple of those for you.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Shortly, Steve with the question, what's up with Porsche? I'm retired,
I'm going to play league. Damn, they don't want me.
I'm not retired now, and I'd like a paycheck. Well,
if it was that simple, I'd love for her to
say that I tried to get her on the show,
but she's only to impress conferences. Because some interesting questions
around that, but it couldn't pop put them to her.
(25:54):
So there you go. I think maybe she's still had
a game in her legs and she figured she was
going to do it in rugby league and now that's
not there, And what's that? Well, I enjoyed myself so
much playing rugby. I really enjoy playing sleeper rugby.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Oh biggie.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
I think col Whites have another crack because she was
good at center. So maybe there's that. So I hope
that answers your question, Stee, But again I don't know.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
It's couldn't talk to.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Her, Darcy, could you be need to tell me how
you pronounce hey Demand's name right now? Hey, I spoke
to her a couple of times now, and it is Demand.
As much as we all want to say Dumont because
it looks like Billmont and we want to pretend we're French,
is demand, according to her, someone else is the same thing.
(26:35):
I just told you say her name. I really want
to say Dumont and people do and they still do.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
But Demand.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
So she told me, Ah, Darcy, how many abs play
sevens for New Zealand. None? It's one or the other.
And seven's is a special sport with little and coln
with the fifteen game, it is but when it comes
to the women's version, there's a few more similarities in
the way the women play fifteens and seven finding gaps
(26:59):
and ridiculous acceleration, not as physical as brutal as the men's.
Look I can stand to be. Tell me I'm wrong,
it's fine. Just give me a ring that You look
at some of the wahini that play in the seven
side and the screaming, and they're coming back now, aren't
they for the fifteens?
Speaker 4 (27:21):
A lot of them.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
So the specialists fifteens girls aren't getting these roles because
the sevens rock stars are wandering back in and flogging
their jobs. Now, han a porter told me before, they
don't really see it like that. It's about getting the
best athletes for the Pinnacle events, which is one of them.
I can't help think there's a few noses out of joint.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
It have to be right.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
I'm playing Opiki, I'm doing really, really well. And then
the fancy pants from over the Road sevens, Megan's Money
having a good time, suddenly takes my jersey because she
wants to go to a Pinnacle event. I don't think
that's right.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Is that right?
Speaker 4 (27:57):
AnyWho?
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Let's get real women's are so called rugby provides. Let's
get real women's See this is Paul Yu need punctuation.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
It's really helpful.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
It's the difference between knowing your shit and knowing your shit.
Just put the apostrophe and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Let's get real women's So called super rugby fvides rent
for the stadium, landlord wages for the security, and the
odd chip on the ground for the seagulls. No, it's aspirational.
It's a lot more than that. It's a very limited
(28:32):
view poll. The growth area in rugby in this country
is women so much more room to go just quite
you haven't noticed half of us are women, okay, and
so jed I have to open up. They have to
have a pathway and it might take teen or fifteen years,
(28:56):
but they've.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
Got to do it. It's their job.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Women's sevens that loses less money than the women's fifteens
do more pressing. That is Mona are the bust and
meant to be relocated to the Islands from Auckland. But
none of the players want to go news to me.
But thanks very much for their heads up. Oh eight
one hundred eighty ten eighty lines are open. Well we
(29:21):
can text nineteen niney two.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
That is z B z B.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
This is news talk zb.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Oh make game day Jay Chad Flabbel up sooner rather
than later to talk about his move back to the
breaker is fun, interesting maneuver. I want to have him,
you though, give me a ring hundred eighty ten eighty.
We need we need it focused, don't we? The fifteens
needs to be first and foremost the sevens and after
(29:50):
thought for the women's game. Go and tell me I'm wrong,
all right or something? Add at eighty ten eighty give
us a RINGO.
Speaker 6 (30:02):
Good look at you, you tech?
Speaker 2 (30:09):
How'd you name the door to the.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
Stilling drunking budels umping your cards?
Speaker 2 (30:21):
Jeer, it's not you, it's not bad. It's seven forty
(30:42):
three sports O care on that news talk at the
seeds at be a couple more takes of Rolling in Darcy.
I will no longer yell the commentators for mispronouncing her name.
It's teaming now, isn't it. You think it's the mom
But all you got to do is ask the person
they tend to tell you And I'm more worried about
(31:04):
rugby girls leaving and playing league again. But if they've
got a structured international and local season where they know
when they're wanted, how much they're getting, and there's a
pathway through that, they're less likely to go and play
rugby league. Rugby league hasn't got a World Cup like
(31:24):
women's rugby has not even close. I think it drags
enough people in there, Darcy. The Women's World Cup was
according to the ends that are and media going to
change the game and take it to the next level.
Tell me what has it done please? In terms of
growth and popularity, I haven't got numbers in front of me.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
I won't lie to you.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
But the progression of the game at a younger level
four women has accelerated and they put that down to
the World Cup. There's a lot more interest in the
game with our young women. They won't to play the game.
And as far as the growth of popularity, I suppose
it's a timescale. I don't think you'd expected to accelerate
(32:12):
at MAC ten. It doesn't work like that. But slowly
but surely it will increase. And when you have a
competition that increases in link and intensity and quality like Odpicky,
you are going to start getting more and more traction
for that game, and that's what they're looking at. It's
not happening overnight, but you'd like to think it will happen.
All right, enough of this, let's talk some hopes. It's
(32:34):
a much better idea. Well it is now because oh mate,
jud Flavel joins us now on the program, got himself
another job. Good evening, Jud, good evening, dares he congratulations
on the new role came out the end of last week.
You are now I'd say assistant coach, but it's the
associate head coach of the Breakers. What's in a name?
(32:56):
Jud tell us what's on your plate?
Speaker 6 (32:57):
Now?
Speaker 7 (32:59):
Yeah, well I just decided, well, what's another job in
news on basketball I can take at the moment, But
if I haven't got my hand and so involved in
the Breakers yet. But no, look really excited about getting
back to a club that is has shaped me as
a coach and shaped me in a lot of ways
(33:21):
with the values that the that the club used to
have and that's kind of been part of my journey
where I've taken that with me and uh and to
get back to the club that has given so much
to me is it's exciting and obviously with the new
direction of the new owner of Mark Mature, but his
vision of what he has and but a lot of
the names, the familiarity of the names Belcher, every Crombie
(33:43):
and the Blackwells really sort of clinched it for me
and understanding that well they're really serious about, you know,
steering the ship and what they want.
Speaker 6 (33:54):
And yeah, I was happy to really jump on Coach Kop.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Tell us your relationship with him, what you see in
him bringing because he's retained his job.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
Not many people have after that ownership swap.
Speaker 7 (34:07):
Yeah, it's right, Like I have, you know, caught up
with Cop a few times last year just by attending practices.
You know, at the time I was there with my
tall blacks hat, just watching the guys, and you got
the chance to meet and have a few chats with him,
just sort of casual conversations. And look, we had a
good chat on the phone as well, and real good
(34:28):
chat from from all takes like he is somebody that
you know, obviously had his hand or has his challenges
last year, and I think that was probably a lot
to do with probably some of the moves that were
made for him with roster and stuff like that. But really,
you know, from what I took away from it, like
a guy that's that's really like as in his words,
(34:49):
like a coach that really wants to empower and get
the most out of his coaches as well, and saying that,
you know, he wants people to to to share their
voices and share their knowledge. And so I really feel
like I can help in terms of that with this league,
with the ambl A league that I've spent sixteen seasons
(35:12):
with and then certainly thirteen of those seasons with the Breakers,
So there's a lot there that I feel like I
can sort of assist with and help. But yeah, really
kind of a young coach and an aspiring coach and
brings a lot of good positive energy, and I think
that's going to be a good situation to really step into.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
This Week's really well with your role as head coach
of the Tall Blacks, because you're engaged some of the
better players and we hope more New Zealanders do actually
join up with the roster the Breakers, So.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
That is good. What do they get out of it?
What do they want from you?
Speaker 6 (35:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (35:44):
Look, I think you know a lot of my conversations
with them has been they want to bridge that connection
back with the Kiwi basketball community, and that a lot
to do with the players, of course, but also their
intention is to start up the Breakers Academy again, you know,
and which served a really great place for producing future
Breakers players and to the roster. And it used to
(36:07):
be a time that we had to recruit offshore to
accumulate talent. But then you know Andre Lamanas and it
was his idea of the Breakers Academy, and that was
my first responsibility really was setting that up. But the
vision was, hey, build our own. We're good enough, and
if we have Kiwis that want to grow up and
(36:27):
put on the Breakers singlet, like every teenager that's watching
a Breakers game, we want them to have the dream
that they can put on that singlet one day.
Speaker 6 (36:34):
But those things just don't happen.
Speaker 7 (36:36):
So they need the infrastructure, they need the resources, and
they need the expertise.
Speaker 6 (36:39):
And this is something that the Breakers wanting to do.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Now.
Speaker 7 (36:41):
If we expand on that and say like this is
where our whole country doesn't matter if you're a teenager
or if you're a mid twenties someone like a Taylor
Britt who's been carving out in his role and development
in New zeal And NBL now gets another shot at
you know, plying has trade in the Australian NBL. So
there's so many I guess Kiwis that are just naturally
(37:03):
wanting to be here because this is home. Now, we
can't keep them more. You know, we develop some and
some that are developed offshore and they're hard to get
back sometimes because they're on great money. But what we
can do is continue to build the next ones. And
that's where I think by having the Tour Blacks involved
in this, and when I say Tour Blocks obviously myself,
(37:25):
that really shows a lot of continuity and also the
approach of yes, looks, let's grab the best players that
we can, but let's look at our backyard first and
let's have a look at some of the homegrown talent
that we have.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
The previous management of the Breakers paid lip service to
that concept. We've heard it all the time, but it
never really got any traction. I'm presuming you reach back
to those heady days under the Black Walls and say
we can actually do that that we're just not spit
talking here. This is something we really want to do
and because of your engagement early on the piece back
in those days, they know it's going to work. So
(38:04):
you've joined up with this role having full faith and
what happens above you that they're going to give you
that space to grow this side and grow local talent.
Speaker 7 (38:13):
Yeah, and look and that that may not be necessarily
me hitting the academy.
Speaker 6 (38:17):
That it won't be me hitting the academy.
Speaker 7 (38:19):
But I think what it's shown before is that, I mean,
everybody can have a vision, but the actual the actual
execution of it is really there's a lot of hard work.
Speaker 6 (38:29):
To put into it.
Speaker 7 (38:30):
And I can I can say that there's many hours
and early mornings that you know that I got to
spend in that gym, not me, not just me, but
a lot of coaches that we had come in.
Speaker 6 (38:42):
As well, and a lot of those athletes and players.
Speaker 7 (38:44):
But it definitely got to show that within a real
short span of time span, we were able to really
change and we became the benchmark of the NBR with
not just hanging banners championship banners, but also the development
system that we had. So and that's how I got
plucked out and head hunted from the Southeast Melbourne Phoenix
(39:05):
as they saw what was going on and they wanted
to build their blueprint.
Speaker 6 (39:08):
So you know, yeah, the club has I guess the
last few.
Speaker 7 (39:12):
Years priorized other things and that's to their prerogative. But
it just for me personally and seeing the growth for
these young basketball this is going to be one of
the best strategic moves that I think that this country
will make.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
It was more instrumental in getting your signature, Chad Flavel.
Was it Dylan Boucher or was it the black Holes?
Speaker 7 (39:32):
Well, yeah, if truth is to be told, I guess
it's a combination of both.
Speaker 6 (39:36):
I really Obviously a.
Speaker 7 (39:39):
Relationship with Dylan goes way back to when we're playing
against them with each other and with the tall Blacks
in our club teams here in the New Zealand. But
so I really feel, you know, he understands that the
landscape of this country.
Speaker 6 (39:54):
He also understands the Australian NBL.
Speaker 7 (39:57):
Whenever you jump into any any kind of partnership or
collaborate with people, it's always you know so much, I
guess productive if you've got people with the same mindset,
same vision. The clincher though, was when the Blackwell's names
got thrown in there, and I haven't even heard the
conversation with Paul or Liz, but once I heard that
they were, and I knew that this was serious.
Speaker 6 (40:19):
It just wasn't talk.
Speaker 7 (40:20):
And as you say before, like sometimes people can just
say things for the sake of it, but you know
where where quality people are that you know you're not
only going to get the best out of yourself there
in that position, but the.
Speaker 6 (40:31):
Best out of the club. And so this is yeah,
that was That was.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
The clincher by far. I thought it'd be something along
those lines. Thank you very much. Game Day Jay Judd
Flavel now back involved with the Breakers again. You hear
that Dylan Boucher was one thing, Tom Abercrombie was another.
But they're black holes. Damn. Where do I sign this
news talks there? B it's seven minutes to eight. I
(41:07):
was walking around doing a gig once for the Breakers.
I still a lot of work for them, and you know,
the Wednesday night meet the teams and all this stuff,
and I was chatting away and someone talked to me
about the great effect of the black holes that had.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
On the team.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Oh and oh yeah, yeah, I don't even know who
they are so they like to keep it that way.
And then I was chatting to the sky Da da
da da, and then he walked off and I took
this one guy for ages. He's always at these things.
Other he's just like a massive fan. He's really polain
and really nice and Hi, Darcy, I was going to mate,
how have you walked away? In the same Blake come
up to me and then he goes, I thought you
(41:39):
didn't know the Black Horles, I said, I don't. He goes,
that's Paul Blackhall. You've just been talking to him. I'm
like no, And that sums them up. For years. He'd
been there, I'd been at games, talking to the things.
I've been doing post matches, I've been doing all of that.
And not once did he roll out and go, Hi,
I'm Paul Blackwall own the club. He was just get
(42:00):
a mate, how are you see get overro you? Oh yeah, no,
I'm great.
Speaker 4 (42:03):
Sold to the earth.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
And that says everything to me about the Black Wolves.
This is the same don't care about themselves. They care
about the team. So pleased that they are back, and Paul,
I'm not going to be a pr spin doctor for
the ends that are thank you very much, although the
way this job pays, maybe I should. And thanks for
(42:26):
producing them. Darcy Watergrave back again tomorrow at seven mac
slashes up Next.
Speaker 1 (42:37):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
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