Full Show Podcast: 15 March 2025

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB. The only place for the big names,
the big issues, the big controversies and the big conversations.
It's all on Weekend Sport with Jason Vine on your
home of Sport News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hello, deck you to get afternoon. Welcoming to the Saturday
edition of Weekend Sport on News Talks EDB. March fifteen,
Happy birthday, Kyle Mills. I'm Jason Pine Show producer Andy McDonald.
We're here until three, which doesn't really seem like nearly
enough time because this is without doubt one of the
busiest sporting weekends of the year so far. The big one,

(00:52):
of course, the Australian Grand Prix. Liam Lawson on full
time debut with Red Bull practice yesterday and again today
before qualifying of it later on the race itself tomorrow
from five on the Albert Park circuit in Melbourn. We
have got plenty of Formula one analysis over the next
two days for you. Greg Murphy and Bob McMurray both

(01:14):
with us after one today last night though this Gilbert
catch at what's that like?

Speaker 3 (01:20):
Wait in the left game is over and the heartless, heartbreaking,
we cannot make up the extra two points. The Hurricanes
have won the bit twenty points to eighteen.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
And this his ha hour, thanks to Chavin, thanks for coming. Indeed,
Warrior's assistant coach Slade Griffin with us very shortly after
their really impressive win over Many last night. Hurricanes head
coach Clark laidlaw later in the hour as his team
jets home from Dunedin with a much needed win under

(01:55):
their belts. Your thoughts too on Friday night footy and
the stuff you saw that caught your attention, Grand prix,
as I say, after one after two this afternoon sailed
GP CEO Sir Russell Coots joins us. Some new investment
coming into sales GP, and I want to find out
where we are with a long term deal for Auckland.

(02:16):
We all know how successful the January event was. They
talked about a five year deal. Are we anywhere further
to getting some clarity around that, Sir Russell Coots after
two Mitch Hay out of the black Caps and one
of our rising basketball stars only when he would take
Jones and he plays out of UC San Diego ahead
of March Madness, a massive basketball and sporting events in

(02:36):
the US about to get under wagh Adam Peacock from
Australia too, he's a Manly fan. I wonder if he'll
pick up live sport this afternoon. Super Rugby Opicky Mutta
two against the Blues from five past two and Nelson
first time opick he's been played. And Nelson will keep
eyes on that for you, and three Plunket Shield matches
as well into their third day of four. We'll keep
tabs on the matches in Auckland along Yorda and Alexandra

(03:00):
for you. But there's so much to talk about. Please
take the opportunity if you would like to on the
phone one hundred and eighty ten eighty nine two nine
two for your text messages emails into Jason at newstalksb
dot Co dot NZ nine past midday when.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
It's down to the line. You made a call on
eighty ten eighty Weekend Sports with Jason Hine News Talks MB.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
We're gonna start with rugby league. The Warriors have produced
a stunning thirty six sixteen win over the Manly Sea
Eagles at go Media Stadium.

Speaker 4 (03:32):
Mica Harris, Thevena Pumpey turn us a.

Speaker 3 (03:37):
Six a set.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, wonderful staff. They conceded the first try the Warriors
after just three minutes, but led eighteen sixteen at halftime.
Scored six tries in all, and all six were converted
by halfback Luke Metcalf. Your thoughts on this are welcome
and to have Slagh Griffin, assistant coach of the side
join us very shortly. But a much much needed win,

(04:03):
wasn't it for the Warriors last night? After what happened
in Vegas and the fallout from that. There were you know,
poor tenths of doom weren't there ahead of last night,
and it would have been a very different conversation would
be having if, in fact it had been another defeat
last night too manly, But it wasn't. It was, in

(04:24):
fact one of the more impressive performances we've seen from
the Warriors in recent times. Assistant coach Slade Griffin joins us.
Good to have you on the show. Slade, what pleased
you the most about last night?

Speaker 5 (04:35):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (04:36):
Thanks for having me. We just played our brand of footy.
Obviously we didn't quite play how he wanted to in Vegas.
I'm extremely disappointed but yeah, we just played a lot
more direct and attack, created some good momentum and then
chose our moments to move the ball out wide, and
we just defended much better, tackle better, made some good

(04:57):
decisions on the edges against a very dangerous team. You know,
Turbo and PC are scary players to.

Speaker 7 (05:05):
Come up against.

Speaker 6 (05:05):
But the boys held their gloves up there.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Absolutely, we want to talk more about the game in
the moment, but how much soul searching and internal examination
has the team done since Vegas?

Speaker 6 (05:19):
Yeah, no, the boys are really honest. They're obviously really
disappointed individually and then as a team.

Speaker 8 (05:26):
The biggest one.

Speaker 6 (05:27):
We're obviously gutted ourselves. That really gutted for our fans
that you know, put a lot of time and money
to travel over to Vegas, so it made it feel
a lot worse. And not the first team over rugby
league to have a bad game in round one, you know,
it was just so much hype around it. But we

(05:48):
obviously addressed it and then we yeah, like I said,
we got back to ourselves and we played our type
of game last night.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Six tries tell us the tale of a good attacking performance,
especially that period of three tries in eleven minutes in
the first half. Obviously, you know, I think your brief
is mainly the but has attack been a major work
on since scoring just eight points in the first round.

Speaker 6 (06:14):
Yeah, I think. Look, we lost the physical battle against
the Raiders and you know our attack copped a bit
of flack there. But you heard the old cliche, if
you lay the platform, you know that your halves can
shine there. So, like I said, we're a bit more direct.
We created a lot more ruck speed for our halves

(06:35):
to play and move the ball off the back of
a bit of fast play the ball, and then obviously
that got weighed out as well, and he caused a
bit of havoc around the ruck. So yeah, look, rugbylely
is a complimentary game. When you defend well in your
field position, you get a bit more fatigue in the
other team and then you create more opportunities.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
So yeah, I actually thought Luke Metcalf played okay in Vegas,
but he seemed to cop quite a bit of flak afterwards.
How pleased were you to see him rebound from that
to play? Look he did last night, as you say,
off the back of a much much stir in a
platform that was provided for him.

Speaker 6 (07:10):
Yeah, Like people think like we're not relieved because we've
seen it over preseason and Lukey's done a really good
apprenticeship here under Sean and he's been in the system
for three years, so he knows the attack. Like I said,
we didn't have the platform to playoff over in Vegas,
and he did cop a lot of flack, but yeah,
we just knew if we create more ruck speed, We've

(07:31):
seen what he's done over preseason and there was even
some people calling out like selections and stuff in the media,
but he showed what he's capable of and we knew
that and I read asked, but we had one hundred
percent faith in that, so we obviously backed the team
was picked in Las Vegas, and the Boys really repaid
that face and put a really good performance in last night.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
Absolutely, yeah, same seventeen as you say from Vegas. Aaron Clark,
though started at lock last night, had a good game
after coming off the interchange in Vegas. Were also keen
to have one of Mitch Barnett and James Fisher Harris
on the field as often as you can, not have
as much overlap when neither of them is on there.

Speaker 9 (08:11):
Yep.

Speaker 8 (08:12):
Yep.

Speaker 6 (08:12):
Obviously the front rollers, so you know, they got that
are in the washing machine, you know, up back, making tackles,
carrying the ball like it. It's the most fatiguing position
on the field, so you obviously wanted them on as
long as you can. But the nature of the position
that most front rollers only play so many minutes, so
when you're starting them, both are probably both going to
need to put their hand up around the similar time.

(08:34):
And that's where you got to back your bench. And
we're extremely confident our bench played really well, but yeah,
it was it was great to kind of mix them up,
and in the second instant we brung Barney on a
bit of it. He got to get to halftime and
then we brung Fish back onto him. So we had
one of those big dogs out there at all time.

Speaker 2 (08:55):
Were you at all worried in the first five minutes
or so?

Speaker 6 (09:02):
Oh, you know, just like they have that in them,
like they obviously are higher risk, high reward team. So
we've actually done a really good job defensively. They didn't
make many meters that whole set, and then one play
Turbo just turns up on the edge and he can crucify,
you know, and they got Sab out there, who's just

(09:23):
lightning fast, and we ended up forcing a few eras
out of them and yarded and then scoring on the
next set. So you know, they're kind of that type
of team where they roll the dice a bit. But yeah,
just high class players. We end up making a few
adjustments there. But yeah, off the back of their big forwards.
If you lose one tackle and you have a man

(09:44):
out of your defensive line, Turbo pops up on the
edge for the overlap. He's so skillful he can just
pull your pull you apart. So yeah, obviously we made
the adjustments and the boys did a pretty good job
for the rest of the game.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
Youreck and manly winger Jason Sab got that one down
in the corner early in the second half, I mean,
didn't affect the results, So you can be honest.

Speaker 6 (10:05):
A put down.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah what do you think? I don't think. I don't
think you got it down.

Speaker 6 (10:10):
But you know, yeah, those bones are that tough for
the rest, aren't they. Like you know what he's saying,
they probably say try and many are probably saying it
is a try, like it's a tough job for a rest.
So I'll keep out of that one. I think I
don't know how they're kind of rolling on that one
right now. I remember it used to be, you know,
you had to deale with pressure out. It's like, as

(10:31):
long as there's one, I'm pinky on it. So yeah, that's.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, no, very diplomatically answered mate, well done. That was like,
I'm sure you'll you'll as you say. You know, the
lot of Warriors fans said, there's no way it was.
It was like the the daily chair evens try as
well that you know, tiptoeing along the touch line to
pull it back this. You know, there's millimeters in these things. Ah,
I mean do you are you watching the footage from
the coaching box when these decisions are being made by

(10:58):
the bunker?

Speaker 6 (10:59):
Yeah, we are went a little bit away from the
big screen. We'll only go like a little tally in
the coach's box. So sometimes the hard Yeah that again,
you know, you could say either way on that one
when the ref call was one way. That gives them
the benefit of doubt. But yeah, that's just how classy
they are. They like they make a breakdown and right

(11:20):
they kicked back at the post and they tapped the
ball back and the team.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeas much as there was controversy over those two tries,
and and there was obviously been trying the first half,
they all came down the right edge, Slad. Is that
a defensive focus for you?

Speaker 6 (11:37):
No, not not really, Like we'll look at it, we'll
make adjustments. And I just again, I just think it's
like Tom trabley like they are a very dangerous team.
I think that they would have been up there and
the most points scored last year and some areas out
of them as well, but they just yeah, they're ready

(11:57):
to either throw the ball over the sideline or make
a line break, so sometimes you got to wear those ones.

Speaker 2 (12:04):
Pretty special acknowledgment of Tall who Harris pre game? Can
you talk about the impact that he's had on this team?

Speaker 6 (12:12):
Yeah, monumental. I actually played with Toto and through the
juniors and just amazing to see the man he's turned into.
I thought, just as a footy fan, that was an
awesome moment as a Kiwi seeing him hand over the
hoy to Fish and Darney like it's you're shipping now boys,
Like it was just a really cool moment they blacked

(12:34):
out the stadium. I just think that's a real inspirational
moment for young kiwis in the country want to play
regular league growing up in the Warriors fans. But yeah,
obviously he's up on our wall for Player of the
Year three years in a row. I think people didn't
realize the impact he had on the game until they
kind of were involved with the club or with him,
Like he got through so much work, but then he

(12:55):
is so highly skilled and again he kind of em
and I AO a couple of those guys kind of
brung back the ball playing thirteen. So when you've made
a different to the game and everyone starts trying and
emulate that you're a pretty special.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
Player and go media Satam just jumps, doesn't it On
nights like last night? How good is the energy inside
that ground?

Speaker 6 (13:18):
Amazing? Like I think when the sectors down the ships,
I heard the halftime fireworks were unbelievable. So they've got
a really good job, Cam George and the team here.
I really want to make it, you know, the hottest
ticket in town, and they're always thinking outside the box.
But then you just got our fans are passionate, you know,
turn up after that game in Vegas and they just

(13:41):
the crowds rocking. They're fully behind the team, whether you
know it's our best night or not our best night.
So yeah, that's the boys are just really happy to
get home and put another performance in front of them.

Speaker 2 (13:53):
And I see your extrapotents. The Roosters beat the Panthers
last night.

Speaker 6 (13:56):
You see that, Yeah, similar similar to us had a
obviously rough round one and bounce back and they did
against you knows, the full time premiers. So look, it
doesn't get any easier. We know they're a classy outfit.
I've been up the top for a long time. They
are a really good club. And yeah, we just excited

(14:16):
we get to play at home again, so it's going
to be a very tough clash.

Speaker 2 (14:20):
Great chat, Slade, thanks for taking our call, mate and
enjoyed the rest of your weekend and world done last night.

Speaker 9 (14:24):
Cool, Thank you very much, Thanks Lade.

Speaker 2 (14:26):
Slag Griffin the assistant coach of the Warriors. Yeah, fairly
happy assistant coach. You'd have to think, yeah, sure it's
only the second game, but after what happened in Vegas,
that can stay in Vegas, as they say, you've heard
from Slade Griffin. Your chance to react, Warriors fans eight
one hundred and eighty ten eighty. That talks some rugby league.
So much better, so much better than round one, night

(14:46):
and day, better than round one. Probably a bit unexpected
in some quarters. I know they were quite long at
the tab last night, the Warriors, but much much needed
a loss last night, and at zero and two with
the Roosters coming next fresh off that win over Penrith
last night, and thing would be a little bit grim

(15:08):
instead a launching pad for this team last night, and
as I say, Vegas is now very much in the
rearview mirror. Although I do have to say I was
a bit concerned in the first ten minutes the way
manly opened the Warriors up for the first try, but
of a defensive misread, Tom Traboyovich and Jason sab combining

(15:30):
for Traboyevitch to score that try. You don't have to
give them a lot of space there. Speaking of Jason Subb,
you just can't convince me he got that ball down,
that he got Downward's force on it. And as I
just said then, I'm not exactly sure how they judged
these things. Now, there certainly wasn't downward pressure in the
true sense of that phrase. But if all you need

(15:52):
to get on it is just one of your fingers
and have contact with the ball, and the ball has
contact with the ground, then I guess it was as
it happened. It didn't affect the results, so that's probably
probably quite a good thing. Having said that as well,
I'm not one hundred percent sure that Wade Egan got
his try down either, so there probably evens things out
of it. I was very pleased for Luke Metcalf because

(16:15):
he did cop a lot of flak after Vegas, but
last night he had a much better platform to work from.
Taking Sean Johnson's jump is tough anyway, that'll give him
huge confidence moving forward. So your thoughts are welcome as well.
At eight hundred and eighty ten eighty nine, two ninety
two on text, anything that you heard from Slack Griffin

(16:37):
and I think you picked up on last night. We
are going to get to the rugby before one o'clock
because I know there are some Hurricanes fans and in
particular some Highlanders fans and won't have a chat about that,
but let's talk some thirteen man footy for the next
little while.

Speaker 10 (16:48):
Adoy, Jamie, good pliny, how are you going?

Speaker 2 (16:51):
Very good Jamie, very good.

Speaker 10 (16:53):
Yeah, yeah, good night overall with both the Canes and
the Warriors winning. But yeah, you talk mainly about the
Warriors because it's this a game I made me saw. Yeah. No,
it was really good to Yeah, really good bounce back
from Vegas. Yeah, this really pleased with how the the

(17:13):
forwards way of the platform. But you know, Prisha, Harris,
Eagan and Barnett were all out standing and just yeah
form Metcalft to shine in the in the in the
backs as well. I thought there was a big improvement
definitely from yeah Las Vegas.

Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah, it just it was just night and day Jamie,
awsnon't it? And it seems so obvious, doesn't it that
if your forwards play well, and they did as you
say last night, particularly the front rowers, it's going to
be so much easier for the halves to you know,
to get things going on attack. And here we are
six converted tries, you know, but it does all start
up front.

Speaker 10 (17:43):
That's right, exactly. This one one small concern for me was,
especially in the first half, there was like the with
the wingers coming off their wing bit of space on
the outside. I think that was I mean that some
of those yea passes had stuck or something like that.
It could have it was, it could have the game,

(18:05):
I think. I just yeah, it does worry me a
little bit. Yeah, especially if you look at the the
Rooster's game last night. They liked to score wide and
you know they've got some ponent players out there, so yeah,
it's yeah, this one that will work on but yeah
otherwise yeah, yeah, good to back up and hopefully they'll
back it up again next week.

Speaker 2 (18:24):
Indeed, good thoughts mate, Thanks Jamie, always good to chat
to you. Thanks indeed, I eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty year. It was interesting, wasn't it that that? I
think all three were down Roger's side, weren't they? And
he's a guy wh's been around for ages, mainly at
four back. Of course, does he still have to work
on his defensive reeds as a winger, probably, But you know,
Slade Griffin we all over that, as will Roger himself.

(18:46):
And you show what a potent attacker he is by
scoring that try laid on as well. Twelve twenty four
I eight hundred and eighty ten eighty chriss hold their
mate with you after this A spearline if you want
to talk some warriors. I eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty back in a second weekend sport.

Speaker 1 (18:59):
On crutch Hold Engage Weekend Sport with Jason Pain and
gij gunder.

Speaker 11 (19:05):
Homes, New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (19:06):
So I was trusted O Miller News Talks to Baby.

Speaker 2 (19:09):
Twelve twenty seven News Talks a B. We'll get to
the rugby before one o'clock as well. The Hurricanes getting
much needed one over the Highlanders last night, not without
a bit of controversy, but Clark Lailore before one o'clock.
Let's get back to the lines and talk to NRL
Chris high.

Speaker 12 (19:22):
Mate mate n R L and a quick bit of
union if I made just through of course, of course,
so in our old tipping, I went for the for
the Dolphins, then I went for Manly, and then I
went to the Panthers. So I'm out of three at
the local pub then and then at my at my

(19:44):
wife's works, I do the footy tipping for her. So
the Brummy's loss to the drawer, and I thought the
drewer would get up after they did a job on
the the old white out of Chiefs, and then the
Hurricanes got up over at Cargo. So I'm none from
five I and.

Speaker 2 (20:02):
Five, Chris, I and five. It can only get better, Oh.

Speaker 12 (20:06):
I hope so, But I was going to talk about
the Warriors game. They were such a different team than
when they played against Canberra in Las Vegas, like they
went back to that throw the ball around, have a go.
The way that the Warriors win games is when they
also make it like a game of touch as opposed

(20:28):
to league, and they've got to keep playing that game
throw the ball around, because that's when they win. They
get the one on one and if they play that
structured game, they're going to lose to the way the
Australian teams play. So I hope they continue that for
the rest of the season. Throw them all around, have
a crack because all of those individual players one on
one will beat their man. So that was a really

(20:50):
good insight into how the Warriors can progress.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
Such an interesting point you makee Chris, because I know
that was one of the accusations of Andrew Webster last year,
was that that on attack with ball in hands, they
were far too structured. They didn't have a plan B.
They stuck very much to one plan and when that
didn't work, there wasn't much else going on. But you're
so right. You look at that, just the back line,
you know, Roger two of us check as you say,
you know Alatawa, Taine, Tapicks, Delan, Whateni Zuleisnik when he

(21:16):
comes back, Metcalf and Harris, the Veta and the halves.
There's a lot of individual skill there which if it
is let off the leash could be very dangerous. And
we saw six tries last night.

Speaker 12 (21:26):
And that's the thing for the Warriors is as a club,
when they have had.

Speaker 7 (21:32):
Successful years, it's because the players.

Speaker 12 (21:35):
Have been freelanced and doing what they do and if
they have to play structured league, they're not going to
match up to these TiO teams. But I think we
saw last night the blueprint of how they should play
moving forward.

Speaker 2 (21:52):
Well, I hope that. Who have you got winning the
Blues Chiefs tonight? Just incident they're because I'll back the
other way.

Speaker 12 (22:00):
I'll back to the Chiefs because I'm from Canterbury and
as far as I'm concerned, New Zealand ends the bomb.

Speaker 7 (22:06):
Hills take it off.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
Love it, Chris, Always good chatting to you mate, Thanks
for calling it. I hope things improve as far as
your typic is concerned across the weekend. Look, yeah, I
think the Chiefs certainly favorites tonight against the Blues, aren't they.
We'll obviously wait to see you that plays out. We'll
have that on the show tomorrow. Thanks for your cause
and correspondence on the NRL more to come next up
for the Warriors back home against the Roosters, who will
come here full of confidence after beating the four time

(22:34):
defending champion Penrith Panthers last night and doing it with
a bunch of guys that injured as well. Good bit
of jeopardy going around the NRL. Maybe it is the
Melbourne Storm and then just a bunch of teams, including
the Penrith Panthers obviously even manly last night, they are
still a good team, you know. But maybe it's just
going to be the Storm who clear out ahead of

(22:56):
everybody else and the rest of us are fighting for
those top A positions. Probably a bit of a bold
claim after just one of the bit rounds in the
NRL this year, twenty night away from one weekend sports kind.

Speaker 3 (23:08):
Of take it own kicks down field with the belts
going take it down looking for it for a bit
knock gone by.

Speaker 13 (23:13):
And he's a judgement holds try to check me.

Speaker 1 (23:18):
Anyway where they come from.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
Yeah, that's Paul Ellison on the call last night of
the Highlanders against the Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the Highlanders, they
couldn't get the job done, even though they laid for
various stages during the game. The Hurricanes got up by
twenty points to eighteen off the back of a monumental
defensive effort in the last ten minutes. Hurricanes coach Clark

(23:40):
laidlawres with us from Duneda Airport, the team about to
fly home. How tense were the last ten or fifteen
minutes last night?

Speaker 11 (23:46):
Mate?

Speaker 14 (23:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (23:48):
Pretty tense. Yeah, we you know, I think we felt
like we'd minute difficult for ourselves. You felt like we
were on top for big parts of the game, but
then then they sat we scored half times, you know,
then we scored again. Then you know it sort of
kicks through and the bounce of the ball. So it felt,
you know, it felt like one of those nights where

(24:10):
you know, maybe it was going to get awareness. So yeah,
this sort of composure that we managed to show in
the last ten to fifty minutes, you know, the massive
sets and defense. Yeah, it was super pleasing to get
on the right side of a titland.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
How many techos do you reckon your time made in
the last ten minutes, We'll say, well.

Speaker 9 (24:29):
Somebody said one hundred. Wow, last night you said to
me we made a hundred tackles in the last ten minutes.
I'm not sure if that's if that's accurate, but man,
we made a lot. And yeah, Cory, Jane and in
the defensive group, yeah, they've been had in the last
couple of weeks, you know, around sum of our defense
and send the last week up in Auckland, we felt

(24:49):
we didn't defend well enough or for long enough period,
so that was a real focus when we took that
to the extreme last night. But yeah, really pleasing to
show that sort of heart in real care to try
and get the wins.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
There's the commitment, of course of miking those tech but
also the discipline. You know, when you're only two points ahead,
any indiscretion and you know I get kickable penalty points,
so you must be placed with the discipline as well.

Speaker 9 (25:16):
Yeah, and that's exactly you know, I think the whole
competition you've seen that if teams get ball and keep ball.
It's difficult to sort of stay on side and then
not give away a cheap penalty. So yeah, as you say,
for ten to fifteen minutes, you know, they obviously had
that shot at goal that they didn't manage to take.
And then after that we were, you know, were as

(25:36):
clean as we needed to be. And yeah, you go
over there was, I say, with a tight win.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
One of your assistants, Jamie Macintosh, shit on the radio
this morning, dupless he's smart mouthguard measured over one hundred
points of contact in an ad a minute performance. How
big was his performance for you last night?

Speaker 6 (25:56):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (25:56):
Huge?

Speaker 9 (25:58):
Yeah, I mean he's he's an awesome hurricane, and you
know he loves the team. He put his arms sold
into his preparation and his performance every week. And I
think what you're seeing now is a real maturity that's
given him that consistency. We had some really good charts
and off seasons. Yeah, just around how does he keep

(26:21):
mature and how does he take his game? You know
you're not going to make massive shift in his game now,
but the consistency is what you're saying. And yeah, the
amount of what he done both sides, you know, he
carried the ball. You know he was he was out
on his feet, wasn't he at the end? So yeah,
he should be really proud of his performance last night.
And yeah, we're really enjoying the drawing his way, the

(26:43):
way he's leading the team. And I think that responsibility
really thrives on you A reckon.

Speaker 2 (26:48):
Scott Robertson is looking at him.

Speaker 9 (26:52):
Oh, I guess so, I'm sure they're looking at all players. Yeah,
I think I'm making a conscious effort not to get
too distracted around all Blacks. And I said to somebody
last night asked me that sort of similar question. He
played like a Hurricanes captain. You know, that's that's what
we need and we want from them, you know, so we'll,
you know, we'll try and get the best out of them,

(27:12):
and if it's good enough at the back end of
the year to make all Blacks, then then cool. But yeah,
something I noticed last year, So it's a really difficult
team to make. We were a number of players that
played really well last year and didn't quite make it.
So say that was all the people too, they're sort
of out later.

Speaker 11 (27:30):
In the year.

Speaker 2 (27:30):
You're welcome back a sup more entirel Limix last night
that came throw. Okay, yeah they did.

Speaker 9 (27:37):
I think it's a little bit stuffing. So they're starting
a little bit under done, you know, starting season late
and sort of walking into that type of game. But
now they were both they were both fine this morning.
And it's nice to see a scrump penalty, isn't it.
You know, we got some kindly hear that sort of
tight period of the game. And yeah, to say, I

(27:57):
thought the team last night looked looked a bit more
like the team we thought we would have at the
start of the year. And it's obviously been a trickie
start to the season with you know, NJ and players away,
and you know, we had one game in wanting, you know,
so to play five games. Yeah, we're maybe a couple
of show them what we wanted. But yeah, it's quite
nice going in the bye week to sort of reset.

(28:20):
It's been a big haul since was it the fifth
or sixth of January till now, so so yeah, everybody's
ready for a few days off and yeah we'll look
ahead to the water tas at the back end of
the week.

Speaker 2 (28:31):
Why do you think Bilin Sullivan passed the ball to
came Roy guad when he was basically out of the
lawn himself for that second try.

Speaker 12 (28:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (28:39):
Well, it's actually a funny thing about that, because that's
actually something I quite enjoy when I was coaching Simmons.
We we've done a big start on the difference between
kicking inside the fifteens and outside the fifteens. So maybe
I have to blame for thinking about stuff like that,
you know. So, and like Alimentley, we got inside the
fifteen and we kicked the conversion, won by two points,

(29:01):
you know, so sometimes people think it's a little bit
of showboating, but actually getting inside and scoring inside the
fifteen and kicking the conversion. You know, last week we
missed a conversion that would have given us a chance
to win the game against Mohana outside the fifteen. So yeah,
maybe maybe I have to play for that fair enough.

Speaker 2 (29:22):
Well, good tonight, there's a method on it and that
sevens does trainslide across the fifteens. Good tonight. Just before
you got I think I can hear your flat being cold.
How big a win is this for you?

Speaker 9 (29:32):
Yeah, it's big in the context of what's happened the
last few weeks. You know, I thought we played really
well against considers for most part, and you know, we
we maybe could have could have won that game. We
obviously beat the Druer. I thought we should have beat
the Blues. You know at twenty nine to twenty one.
We're opportunities there to close that game out. And then

(29:53):
we played poorly against Mohana, you know, so it saved
me a tricky start, so to get a win. You
can see the competition is going to be super tight.
Winning your home games and picking up a couple away
from home, it's probably going to take you pretty close
to those playoffs. So we're well aware of what the
competition is going to look like. But you start digging

(30:14):
yourself a pretty deep hole, if you know, if you
lose again last night, and then we've got a big
book of games after the bye with some really tough games.
So yeah, it was it was. It was a big wind.
It was important to get back on track and as
I say, the buys you know, come out quite a
nice time where we can reset and then get ready
for a big six block, six game block in the

(30:35):
middle of the season.

Speaker 2 (30:36):
Congrats on the victory, Clark enjoyed the bye week. Thanks
for the check mate, Thank you, no thank you Clark
Clark led love there from Danneeda and Airport. Hurricanes flying
home with the win from last night's game against the Highlanders.
Your thoughts eight hundred and eighty ten eighty. Look, I'm
not that one eyed. I know the Hurricanes got lucky
at the end Peter Rumanga Jensen with what was a

(30:56):
high tackle missed by the referee, missed by the assistant referee.
It would have been a penalty, it would have been
a tough kick from out wide, but it would have
been an opportunity to win the game. So that was
missed and that was a bit of luck as far
as the Hurricanes were concerned. The reason it wasn't referred

(31:19):
to the TMO is because the TMO can only intervene
if it is a yellow card offense or higher, and
it wasn't. It was a high tackle, yes, a penalty, absolutely,
but the TMO can't come in unless it is a
yellow card offense and it wasn't. So I guess that
plays into the favor of the Hurricanes. And that's what

(31:39):
we've been saying for a while is when I want
the TMO coming in here, there and everywhere, we want
the game to be refereed on the grass and so
that was missed. Hurricanes qut lucky. The decision to take
the drop goal at the end was interesting for me.
I don't know what you think about this, but maybe
the Heighland has just decided, after being repelled time and

(31:59):
time and time again by the hurricanes excellent defense, that
a dropy was the best way to win the game.
And hindsight's always a wonderful thing in sport, and if
it's a few meters to the right, we're having a
very different conversation. But I just wonder whether they, given
their time again, whether they would keep on, you know,
battering away at the Hurricanes. They were very accurate, their

(32:22):
ball handling was good. Obviously in Dunedin there's no worries
with dew on the ball and things like that. But
they had been repelled over and over again. So maybe
it's just a case of, look, we're not really going
to get any change here. We're all about naked as well,
rather than let fatigue play its part, and you know,

(32:45):
perhaps it's decided the game. We'll have a droppy. He
was in good position, wasn't he. Kammeller the for the
for the shot at goal unfortunately though off to the left.
As far as sorry, did I say Miller Gilbert, I
meant Gilbert with the shot, and here we are with

(33:05):
the result duplicqudife without question in the All Blacks conversation.
Now you look at the guys playing seven around super
rugby with Sam Caine gone, Obviously there's a vacancy there
in the loose forward cohort for the All Blacks. Dalton
papala is the most experienced of them in terms of
higher honors, says there Sean Whither. I think's been good

(33:27):
for the Highlanders. The Chiefs have got some fairly handy
Lucy's ethan Blackadder if he can stay fit. But I
think duplic codif he has to be in the conversation,
has to be that stat that I mentioned. Jamie Macintosh
I heard this morning on z B and Wellington say that, yeah,
one hundred plus contacts in that game because they wear

(33:51):
the smart mouthguard, which obviously measures these things and also
tells you whether you need to go for an HIA.
It measured over one hundred instances of contact, so clean
outs tackles ball carries one hundred and eighty minutes from
one bloke, so yeah, he has to be in the conversation.

(34:12):
And just before we go to the break and take
some of your calls, I'm not sure about the Marvel
jerseys that they're wearing. I totally get the concept. I
totally understand the concept that they want to try something
different with it being kids round and you know, dressing
up as characters from the Marvel universe. But when that

(34:33):
game started last night, and first of all, watching the
Hurricanes and Blue was a bit jarring, and then you
know they were obviously Captain America and the Highlanders were
there as the Hulk. It was just a tough watch
esthetically speaking, to watch two teams in a very similar strip,
both dark strips out there. I mean, at very least

(34:53):
the Hurricanes could have gone for you know, a character
that had more of a yellow tinge to it, a
wolverine or someone like that. I don't know, but yeah,
I get what they're doing, but it was a pretty
tough watch. Oh, eight hundred and eight ten in eighty
nine two nine two on text, there's take and calls
on the rugby. We're talking formula one after one, so
this is your chance to talk some Friday footy back

(35:14):
with some of your calls after this on News Talks.

Speaker 1 (35:16):
dB, you be the TMO, have yours say On eight
hundred and eighty ten eighty Weekend Sport with Jason Paine
and GJ. Guvnerholmes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder News Talks,
they'd be news Talks.

Speaker 2 (35:29):
There'll be thirteen to one speline if you want to
jump a board, talk rugby or we can continue on
the Warriors as well. Only tw one o'clock We're going
to shift across to Formula one after one talk Lillam
Lawson's practice sessions yesterday, qualifying today and his big day
tomorrow as he takes the full time Red Bull seat
for the first time at the Albert Park circuit at
the Melbourne Grand Prix. But talking rugby and rugby league

(35:50):
are eight hundred and eighty ten eighty A pile of
texts coming in which I can get to, but keen
to get your thoughts if you want to pick up
the phone. You can't be too one eyed about the
officiating in the league. Last night Party says this is
one both Wade Egan and Roger two I vasa Check's
tries were not clear I'm surprised they were both awarded. Yeah,
I'm not sure Wade Egan got his one down. I

(36:11):
think the Roger one was there was a suggestion of
a double movement. It felt to me though, like he
dived and his momentum took him took him to the
try line. That one was I think more clear cut
than the Wade Egan one. I think you're right about
the Wade Egan one. I'm not sure that there was
an angle that conclusively showed that he got that ball down.
So at least they went with the on field decision,

(36:32):
which was try, rather than trying to forensically analyze whether
or not he got it down. It didn't actually it
didn't actually matter in the overall scheme of things. And
you know, there was there was doubt over Jason Saab's
try in the corner, you know, whether he got downward

(36:54):
force on that. A couple of others here. They couldn't
use Wolverine, that's a d C character, not Marvel sees Zane.
I do agree, though maybe the money would be better
spent on getting kids to the games. Yeah, that's a
good point again, I get it. Look, I don't mind
the innovation I don't mind them trying things. That's good.

(37:15):
You know, nothing should be off the table in the
quest to try and to treat more people to the
games and get people talking about them. I just thought
it was already like when I turn it on, there
was these two teams. One of them was in green,
one of them was in blue. I didn't know which
team was mine. I didn't know which was my team.

Speaker 15 (37:31):
Hello, Phil, get akay pointyeel good.

Speaker 2 (37:35):
I'm good Phil. Good to hear your voice.

Speaker 15 (37:37):
Oh excellent, Thank you very much. Always good to listen
to you too. I'm bloody annoyed at the Warrior's pointy.

Speaker 2 (37:44):
Why is that felm? Did you beat against them?

Speaker 6 (37:48):
No?

Speaker 15 (37:48):
No, no, although they probably wouldn't have been a pad
bit because I'm probably thinking Manly was probably favored, But no, no,
because they played the same bloody time the the rugby
was on the foot, I couldn't both games.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
Yeah, it was an interesting choice, wasn't it. You're right,
but the Hurricanes and Islanders kicking off at seven, and
then the worries that at least you got the first
half of the rugby before you had to make your decisions.
But yeah, it's yeah, it's it makes for a pretty
challenging use of the remote, doesn't it.

Speaker 1 (38:21):
That does.

Speaker 15 (38:22):
And actually I could have with the sky Sky Sport
that I've got, I can actually watch AWS it and
watch it you know, an hour or later or something
like that. So i'd just been a bit I deciye
wee bit of a funny man. Yeah, but I did.
I flicked over at one stage and I think it
was about twenty minutes into it into the game, and

(38:45):
they were six mainly or six new up and I thought, oh,
well that's okay, it's not bad because yeah, so but
then I went back to the rugby and I watched
the Highlanders and the Hurricanes and the Drewer and the Brumbies,
and yeah, it's always been at heart, I love him
a rugby league, but I've always been a rugby man
at heart. But I yeah, I think last night with

(39:10):
the TMO, it was a good situation there where unlike
last year with a TMO was starting to spoil the game,
you know, by coming in all the time and stuffing
and starting and going back phases and overturning the ref
and that sort of thing. Like in the Drewer game,
the drew and Brumbies game. There was a fellow got

(39:32):
the Troy there for g and guy got the Troy,
but it looked like he had the Troy and the
Brumby captain was going, no, no, no, he's lost a
ref And I don't know who made the call or
with the TMO come in. But the TMO come and
they awarded the Troy. But then the reft But then
the TMO come and they reviewed it, and yeah, when
they reviewed it, it was clear to see that he

(39:54):
had actually lost the ball. So I thought, in that case,
that was a good use of the TMO and how
it should be. And it was interesting with the TMO
and the high tackle not coming in because I thought
it initially, oh geez, there we go. That's that's a penalty,
especially you know the twenty six phases of defending and that,
and they would have the chance of getting that the

(40:15):
penalty kick.

Speaker 2 (40:17):
But yeah, Phil, I don't need to move. I've got
one more call to get to before the top of
the hour. But thank you for calling. And I yeah,
I think if you're a Highlanders fan, you're like, yeah,
why why wasn't that looked at? It was just missed
on the field. Unfortunately for for for Highlanders fans, could
I ben thanks for calling, Hey.

Speaker 7 (40:32):
Boyne, here you go men? Hey that it was talking
about a closure, the pleasure, the times, the yeah, the
rugby on at the same time as the league that
I managed to get the first fun on the Canes
and the Hurricanes, and I I was reached for the
remote to turn it off and and and absolutely discussed

(40:52):
with the way the rugby has been changing, against rules
and whatnot. When the Mossy knocked the guy out just
through just for a just for a sheer determined run
up the field, and they were talking about yellow car
and I thought to myself, is he going to get
a yellow card for running at this guy and bowling

(41:13):
him over and and carrying on? And yeah, I thought
that was how it was going to end up. Was
I was going to get a yellow card? And the
poor bugger that got knocked out of course when he
woke up, you bet yellow card, thanks thanks for coming

(41:33):
and he's your consolation prize. I mean that was yeah,
I was about to reach for the remote. I thought
that the way that the way the regue is going,
which is why I at half time switched over to
wats the what's the w Yeah, just just well but
how good man and right at the end like that

(41:53):
the cherries on the top of Mecca was was exactly
there and what a way to do it? Just because yeah,
because I heard the fact that he got last week
and and what a way to do it, just to
Cherry Evans Man, what a team, what.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
A game it was. Ben got a move mate, But
thanks for calling. Please call back and we've got a
bit more time. Our six and a half away from
one talk three to one. Wolverine absolutely is a marvel character.
I'm told by multiple sources here on text. So Wolverine
could have been used by the Hurricanes last night. Missed
opportunity Formula one after one o'clock.

Speaker 1 (42:31):
It's the only place to discuss the biggest sports issues
on and after field.

Speaker 11 (42:36):
It's all on Weekend.

Speaker 1 (42:38):
Sport with Jason Vane on your home of.

Speaker 2 (42:40):
Sport US Talk one o seven. Welcome back into the show.
This is Weekend Sport on News Talks. He'd be until
three o'clock this afternoon Formula one as well, and truly
our focus in the next half hour or so, can
you get your thoughts on on Liam Lawson's prospects for
his first drive as a full time Formula One driver

(43:02):
with Red Ball. That's tomorrow afternoon at five o'clock. We've
got quite a bit of Formut one on the show
for you tomorrow as well. So yeah, Albert Park and
the Melbourne Grand Prix certainly a big part of what
we're about this weekend. It's been something that's been talked
about for a long long time. Not the happiest of
first days. In terms of practice for Liam Lawson yesterday

(43:24):
we'll find out a bit more about what he needs
to do today in qualifying and whether they can just
make this cargo a bit faster to catch up to
the slightly faster other cars on the track. Bob McMurray
along shortly Greg Murphy also this out your calls and correspondence.
Welcome to on eight hundred and eighty ten eighty. In
terms of timing, Liam Lawson one more practice ahead of

(43:47):
qualifying that'll go from around two thirty this afternoon. Qualifying
set for six o'clock tonight, New Zealand time, and then
of course the race itself tomorrow at five o'clock. See,
it's been a well, I was going to say, it's
been a long time coming, but it's been talked about
for a long time. I remember Liam Lawson as a
sixteen year old being in studio at z BE with

(44:10):
our next guest, and even back then he was determined
to do this and here we are, Here we are.
He's looking for a bit of extra speed though. His
first two practice practice sessions on the Albert Park track yesterday,
Liam Lawson saw him set the sixteenth and seventeenth fast
times in the two outings. McLaren's Orlando Noras set the
pace in the first session, third and the second session.

(44:32):
Charl Leclair also pretty quick, highly respected motorsport identity and
bringing the experience of three decades with McLaren Formula one
to the show. Bob McMurray is with us, Bob good
to chat is always what can or should we read
into Liam's practice times yesterday?

Speaker 16 (44:50):
Hi, piney, Well, yes, that's a big call, but not
a lot, is my first reaction. That was day one
out of seventy two days. He's got another seventy one
to go the second one today. Yes he was he
was slow, There's no doubt about it. He was slow.
But the only thing he's got to think about really

(45:12):
is that he is going to be compared to his teammate,
and his teammate, Max Restappan is also struggling now. In
the second session, Liam was half a second, just over
half a second slower than Stappen. And that's not so
bad really in a car that is clearly a bit reculcitrant.

Speaker 11 (45:32):
No.

Speaker 16 (45:33):
Ronnie read last night that in many ways Liam's car
was different to max is in that Liam was running
the old floor and the old space nose and things
like that, so they are experimenting. It doesn't take away
the fact that he's seventeenth or something on the grid
and everybody was expecting him or not on the grid
so in practice, and everybody was expecting him to be,

(45:54):
you know, right up there with Max and all the
rest of the stuff. But for goodness sakes, give the
blood the chance. He's never been to Melbourne as a
racing driver before. He's never been in a session as
intense as this before. He's in a situation now where
people are going to comment if he doesn't shave that day,

(46:15):
or if he you know, seems to have one eye
shorter than the other or something like that. He is
under intense scrutiny and it's got to. I don't know
how strong he is. It's going to take a little
bit of time to get your bum in the seat
and to get used to all that stuff going on
around you. So, yes, he was slow. I don't put
it down to anything other than fuel loads, trying to

(46:39):
get the car to work and all the other stuff.
Unfamiliarity with the track and that sort of thing. So
if he's over the rest of the weekend, time, but
he's got to he's just got to start learning every
single second he gets to get that car fast. As
simple as that.

Speaker 2 (46:53):
You want to come back to talking about the car
and the speed of it and Liam's driving in a moment.
But something you said there is really interesting to me,
and that is the intense spotlight that goes on to
her and all of these drivers when they reach, you know,
the elite level of being a full time Formula One driver.
You've known Liam for a long time. How do your
assist his ability to cope with that?

Speaker 16 (47:13):
Oh? He has the ability, no doubt. He's a pretty
determined young man. He's a fairly brusque young man on
the track, as was proven by his performances last year
when he was getting in all sorts of clashes, but
he is being looked at. A little example yesterday from
people who should know better. He was coming out of
the bits. I don't know if anybody saw this. As

(47:35):
cars do, they leave quite a lot of space between
them and the car in front so they can get
some space to not be in the sleet stream and
all that sort of thing in the car in front.
So he was slow coming down following MaTx Restaff and
out of the pits, and he was slow, slow, slow.
On the right hand side, there was a little line
of cars led by Lando Norris. Liiam Lawson was in

(47:58):
the and he's not allowed to stop in the pit lane.
By the way, he was going as slow as he
possibly could to make the gap. He went past Lando
Iris and then Lando decided to launch his car in
the practice staff Immediately. Immediately the commentators who should know
better said it was Lando Norris. It was Liam Lawson's

(48:19):
fault for not giving way to Lando Norris. What's he
supposed to do? Is he's supposed to part in the
pit land and be fine. Is he supposed to just
say after you Lando, No, he's not. So everything he's
doing is being scrutinized in extreme detail, especially on this
side of the world, and he's been I think I'm
fairly picked on a lot of the time by all

(48:42):
sorts of people. He's got to learn. He's going to learn.
He has the ability to learn. But he's got a
tough job. As everybody has said, he's got a tough job.
He's just got to get his head down and do it.

Speaker 2 (48:53):
If we talk about today and then on to tomorrow,
Bob can can they make the improvements to the car
today into the way that Liam drives it in time
for him to qualify in the top half of the
grid later on tonight.

Speaker 16 (49:07):
Historically Red Bull have been able to do that. Historically,
over the last couple of three or four seasons, a
first day of practice on a Friday has not necessarily
been the best day for them. Yet they have the
ability or have had the ability to have the whether
drivers are doing the simulation work, and many times, of
course in the last couple of three years, that was

(49:28):
Liam doing that back in the factory. So they have
the ability to change that car, they have the engineering
nous to do it, but clearly that car is not
as good as it was last year. In the testing
at Bahrain, they had a lot of trouble with the car.
Max with Staffen was not happy with the car. He
is still not happy with the car. You can see

(49:51):
that they're not happy with the car because of all
the work that was going on in the practice in
Max with Staffin's garage, with the car up on the
stands during the one hour of practice. In the second hours,
that's something that doesn't normally happen usually twigs. It's not
a wholesale change of suspension which they were doing. Plus

(50:12):
the fact you don't know just how much fuel and
stuff everybody's using the v card. That and then Wilson
got out of last year which is now being driven
by Isaac Hadja. He was running on very very low fuel.
They've admitted that, whereas Liam may have had three quarters
race fuel or something. We don't know that. So really,

(50:36):
this afternoon or this evening and qualifying, that's the time
when you really got to look at how things are
shaping up. I don't think he's going to be that
much faster than he was today, oh yesterday, sorry, but
he's just got to get a little bit closer to Max.
Simple as that, and the.

Speaker 2 (50:57):
Red Bull set up next for Stepan is obviously the
number one driver in that team, Bob. So how much
resource will Liam be getting given that he is very
much number two to Max for Stepan.

Speaker 9 (51:10):
He will be.

Speaker 16 (51:12):
He is the number two driver and he is there
to support Maxistappen. Therefore, if Maxistapan thinks it's better that
they put in the steering wheel behind his head so
he can drive backwards, it will be done. If he
thinks can drive faster that way, and then it will
be done on Liam's car. So regardless, in many ways
of Liam having his own team there, they will sacrifice

(51:36):
everything to get Max Withstappen to be the fastest or
to be better, and the second driver will always have
to follow the ethos that Max has put on the car,
except for fine tweaks to suit the driver. Now this
is something once again that Liam must get his mum
in the seat on and assert some authority over his
own car, saying I don't like it over steering like this?

(51:59):
Can we do just stop it? I don't like it
under steering? Can we do something to stop it? The
more he can prove that he can tune his car
to his way of driving and show that he is
faster doing that, the more the garage will turn onto
his side as well, and to help him go faster.
They don't want him to go slow by any means

(52:20):
at all, but they do want Max to go faster,
and Liam to a certain extent, will have to follow
follow the path drodden by Max, but by the same token,
if he can make his own path, they will support that.

Speaker 2 (52:35):
Such an interesting thing you said as well before, Bob,
about yesterday being day one of seventy two, I mean
twenty four Grand Prix before we finished the season in
early December in Abu Dhabi. How do they balance it though?
You know that because all sports fans, and I'm sure
all sports teams want one is instant results. Our teams
like red ball. You know, are they known for being

(52:56):
patient or or if we look back to last year,
are they not so much known for that.

Speaker 16 (53:02):
No, they're not known from being patient at all. And
I don't like doing it. But I was reading some
social media. There's about eighty percent of the people saying,
told you so, get Lawson out of there, et cetera,
et cetera. Absolutely, I was going to use the word
that rubbish. I'll say I'm some rubbish, that sort of thing.
He's they're going to give him half a season minimum,

(53:24):
and I do not doubt that in the first two
or three races as they come up, that Liam is
going to improve his position. I do not doubt they
employed him because they know him.

Speaker 6 (53:34):
He's been there longer.

Speaker 16 (53:35):
Than almost any other driver apart from Max with Staffan
in that system, in that Red Bull system, so they
know exactly what he's capable of. They didn't choose him
just because he looks good and it looks like a
male model or whatever. He is chosen because they know
he can do the job ultimately, and he's got to
stick with that. Mentally, he's got to stick with the

(53:55):
fact that they preferred him over anybody else to be
Max with Staffan's partner this year. So stick with it.
And you know, he he's simply got to work hard
and for the team to work hard to get the
cars laster. He just needs to be closer to Max
in pretty much all conditions. As Helmet Marcos said, three

(54:18):
tenths of a second, they'll allow him and that's that's
about it. Okay, yesterday he was obviously five tenths of
the second five Milly six tens of a second party.
That's not an awful lot, is it. But the problem is,
in these days of Formula one, you can go from
seventh to seventeenth in just five tenths of a second.

(54:40):
Half a second, not a lot. So he's he's just
got to get better and better. What he doesn't have
to do is what Oliver Behman did yesterday and throw
the thing in the wall. That is, although him did
kiss the wall in practice, just a light touch, just
a note there. So yeah, he's he's on a trajectory
and this is this is you know, like base what

(55:04):
do they call it, ever, his base one or something
like that. That's what he worries out of the moment.

Speaker 2 (55:10):
That's a great filter to look at it through zooming
out of But McLaren, Norris and Pastree, Ferrari, Leclair and
Hamilton as McLaren the faster is that the faster car McLaren.

Speaker 16 (55:22):
It has been proven to be the faster car over
a race distance at the moment. Leclaire and the Ferrari
have come up with a faster time as of yesterday,
and it may well be a faster car on that track.
The Ferrari does have a good record on that track,
there's no doubt about that. But I think it's it's
all going to sort out as we go along. I mean,

(55:43):
yesterday was a little bit screwed up. I think in times,
I don't think you're going to see the Times yesterday
or the order of the Times yesterday translated into qualifying today. Certainly. Look,
it's going to be at the top Norris's p Stree
most likely, and you could have got to say probably
Hamilton's going to be there as well. But the rest

(56:05):
of it is all mixed up. Different fuels, different car engines,
different powers set ups, different power availability. All things will
be will be proven basically in the first qualifying of
the year. Essentially we're still in the testing phase from
the bahrain test where each driver got about a day
day and a half, including Liam in the car. And

(56:27):
Liam's day was disrupted enormously by rain, so he hasn't
had time in the car. Not many of these drivers have.
And the really is the old saying the rubber hits
the road this afternoon in qualifying too.

Speaker 2 (56:43):
Bob, thanks so much for your time. I always learned
plenty listening to you. Thanks for taking our call and
enjoy the rest of the weekend, we'll catch up again.

Speaker 16 (56:51):
So thank you, Bony, my pleasure, all the best mate.

Speaker 2 (56:54):
Bob mc murray, there, gee, he talks good scenes, doesn't he.
Like I said, I just always learned so much about
about motor sport and about the intricacies of it from
listening to Bob McMurray. Look, I know I'm not anywhere
close to being a big motorsport fan, but I think,
like a lot of people in my position, where motorsport

(57:14):
is one of the sports that sits on the outside
of our real sweet spot, you can't help but be
swept up in this about what's happening a Kiwi with
a full time F one drive Oh eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty if you want to talk to F one,
he's in a red Bull car alongside the full time
defending world champion Max for Staff And even that sentence

(57:35):
seems crazy, But here we are, and he's long being
talked about Liam Lawson as a tremendous prospect. Greg Murphy,
who we're going to chat too soon, was talking about
Liam Lawson being a driver to watch four or five
years ago, but for him actually to get to where
he is one of only twenty men in a full

(57:56):
time Formula one seat. Incredible and it is hard to
tell from the outside looking in, but it feels as
though he is taking it all in his stride. He
looks calm in the media situations i've seen him in
this week. There was a bit of a furrough brow
after practice yesterday, but he doesn't look like he's being
swept up in it, and he is ready to fulfill

(58:20):
a dream he's had for a very long time. This
is where he has always wanted to be. It's where
he seems destined to have been. Had a crack last
year of course injury cover and while all the musical
chairs were going on at red Ball and everybody wondered
who would have a seat when the music stopped, it
always felt as though he was in the mix. And
so it's proven and so this weekend Liam Lawson gets

(58:40):
into that full time seat for the first time. And
there are lots of metrics being thrown around as to
what success looks like this weekend. Just finishing as one,
finishing in the top ten, getting within three tenths of
a second of max forstap and that's one I've heard
a lot. If he can do that, then they'll say
that's successful. But just being there, just being there seems

(59:03):
like it's success to me because very very few who
from these parts have done it. And this is just
the start. This isn't a one off. As Bob said,
yesterday was day one of seventy two days in twenty
twenty five. They're are twenty four Grand Prix before we
even get to an assessment of what his first year

(59:25):
looks like. This is the beginning of what could be
a very special sporting career for the shang Kiwi All
Eyes on Melbourne. This weekend. Five o'clock tomorrow was race start,
practice and qualifying today race tomorrow. Twenty drivers starting their
engines and one of them is one of ours. One
twenty four. If you want to talk to Motorsport eight

(59:46):
hundred and eighty ten eighty nine, two nine to two
on text, Greg Murphy with us in the not too
distant future as well back in a second Weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (59:53):
It's more than just a game. Weekend Sport with Jason
Fine and TJ. Gunnomes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder
news Talks, they'd.

Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
Be one twenty seven talking Formula one O eight hundred
and eighty ten A Trevor High.

Speaker 17 (01:00:07):
Mate, Hi there, Yeah, a good interview there with Bob,
thank you very much. And he was heading on something
that I've been thinking about, which is why do they
force s Lim to be in a car that's pretty
much speck to Max? And it just to me just
and even Bob was sort of talking about how obviously

(01:00:28):
Liam at some point is going to have the potential
to say, hey, hang on a minute now, just it's
just biggest beliefs with a sport with so much technology
that they don't know Liam already and what that car
should be doing to suit him, and it just yeah,
I just couldn't quite say, well, well, there's so much money.

Speaker 10 (01:00:46):
Involved they do that.

Speaker 2 (01:00:48):
No, I'm a bit the same, Trevor. I sort of think, okay, well, yes, yes,
we totally get the pecking order. Max Fstappens the number one.
But you're right, with so much money and behind these teams,
you think, okay, there'll be there be a team that
was just specifically you know, targeted at Liam, as you say,
if he wants the seat a little bit different, or
he wants certain things, you know, without getting too technical,

(01:01:09):
that suit is driving better than there should be. You'd
think a team that would help him do that. I
guess they do mout and they say, look, we are
a team. Max is our number one and Liam for
the meantime just has to bide his time, and I
guess just you know, do what he has to do
for the meantime.

Speaker 17 (01:01:26):
Yeah, yeah, I'm a bit of a rookie with the
tult Liam. Certainly he's captured my imagination and interesting, it's
going to be really coperwatch looking forward.

Speaker 2 (01:01:36):
Absolutely, we can all earn these things together, trev I'm
the same as you. I'm a rookie when it comes
to this as well. There's an answer here, Trevor, which
says the genuine answer is or that or an answer
to that question. Liam's in that car because Red Bull
believe he is the most similar driver to Max for
Staffan besides the man himself. So presumably he was chosen

(01:01:59):
for that reason. And look, I'm you know, they're very different,
you know, they're both unique human beings. But if a
car is set up in a certain way, and I'm
just spitballing here, I presume that that if Max for
Stappin can drive that car fast, then Liam Lawson would
just copy what Max does to drive the car fast.

(01:02:21):
I'm sure there's a lot more to it than that,
but yeah, the pecking order things interesting too. You know
Liam is number two at the moment, but you know,
being number two to Max for Stappin ain't a bad
place to be. Thanks for your call, Trivor appreciate it. Oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty. The action is on
sky Sport one and Freedom wear on Sky Open from
just before five o'clock tomorrow. One of our motorsport greats,

(01:02:45):
Greg Murphy is with us. Greg I said before when
I was talking to Bob McMurray, I remember hearing you
say last year that Liam rising to the heights he
has wasn't a surprise to you. You always thought he
was capable of this. In fact, you were on recorders
saying he could reach Formula one four or five years ago.
I remember you saying it. What were the quality tease

(01:03:06):
you observed in Liam all the way back then that
formed that view that made you think he could get
to where he's got to.

Speaker 18 (01:03:14):
It's just his ability to to do things in a
race car that that were, you know, much a lot
higher above average than most people. You know, he every
time he drove a car, no matter what it was,
he would excel and you know, maximize those opportunities. And
and that's that's you know, something that not everyone has

(01:03:36):
the ability to do. So he used to stand out.
He used to make, you know, make statements every time
he drove a car, and you know, and no matter
what it was. I mean, he's got this inate ability
to win on debut and new formulas. And again that's
just something that highlights the X factor that the young

(01:03:57):
man has. So you know, based on the last two seasons,
you know, filling in for Daniel Ricardo or replacing him
last year and filling in for him the year before
twenty twenty three proved he was ready for Formula one
and twenty twenty three and it's taken un till now
for him to get that full time seat. So you know,
he's one of these standout young men, young drivers that

(01:04:18):
have that little bit special extra that sit them apart
from the risk before we.

Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
Look ahead to the weekend, in fact to the year ahead,
can you put into context for us the significance of
having a Kiwi in a full time if one seat.

Speaker 19 (01:04:32):
Yeah, it's difficult.

Speaker 18 (01:04:33):
I mean, I just don't think it's recognized enough by
those that don't foow noticeable on what kind of achievement
this is. And I've been harping on about this for
a long time, the achievements of Kimi drivers on the
international stage at the highest highest level. And I suppose,
you know, if one is the pinnacle form of the sport,
absolute pinnacourts, whatever you know, overy young aspiring driver dreams

(01:04:55):
to be. And if one driver this is a world championship,
twenty four races around the world. If one World Championship
has been going for decades and decades and decades, and
we've had people like you know, Denny Holme and Chris
Aymon and Bruce McLaren and more. Brendan Hartley the latest
to have actually you know, been in a full time
seat and in Formula One. You know, we've had had

(01:05:16):
drivers do it in the past, but this is you know,
a new era, a very different era, and a very difficult,
challenging era. The money that is that is spent to
get into Formula One, the competition that us as a
tiny little nation are up against to get someone in there,
you know, against against these European countries with just just endless,

(01:05:37):
endless amounts of money to actually be able to put
you know, behind people to to get to the top eschelon.
And so you know, Liam's had some mating support to
get there, but he has delivered and repaid all that
support and you know, massively, and now he's now he's
there at the top. So you know, we need to
really recognize the significance of this the sporting achievement, even

(01:06:02):
if you're a Formula one fan or not.

Speaker 2 (01:06:03):
Yeah, very well put, very well put. All right, So
what would a six peaseful opening we can first of
all look like for Liam?

Speaker 18 (01:06:11):
Oh, that's not actually an easy question to answer. I mean, finishing,
it's going to be a good one. And I would
say wherever Max for Stefan is being being right on
the heels of Max for Stepfan, and I think that's
all that. I don't think he wants anything less than that.
You know, it's it's it's about basically, he's in this role.

(01:06:31):
His job is to win, right and regardless of where
Red Bull see that, which is you know, they will
be seeing him supporting Max probably, but they will also
be giving him everything he possibly can to perform it
his best. So for Liam, success would be winning, uh,
you know at the end of the day. But you know,
at the end of the weekend when we look back
on it and we will talk about it, you know,

(01:06:55):
next week in detail, you know, then we'll decide if
it's you know, what he what he has done, is
successful or not. But it's it's such a challenging game.
I mean, Red Bull are talking down their car a
little bit at the moment. I was watching the TV
last night, the preview that Sky Sports were doing, and

(01:07:15):
you know, they're talking down the Red Bull a little bit.
They're talking about McLaren being the fastest car out there.
You know, Redbul's going to be there or thereabouts, but
where exactly, we won't know until Saturday qualifying on where
they all stack up. But you know his goal will
be to be right up the front. He wants to
be right there with Max, if not ahead of him.

(01:07:37):
So it's a little bit challenging at the moment to
give that answer. But you know, finishing is going to
be good. A podium would be It's incredible and I
think it's achievable, I really do, so.

Speaker 2 (01:07:46):
I've seen it reported Greg and I'm sure you've seen
these reports as well. Red Bull want Liam to stay
within three tenths of a second of max for staffing.
But from what you're saying there, you think that's uterly achievable.
Is that realistic?

Speaker 18 (01:07:58):
Absolutely? Absolutely, I think that's very achievable. That's the quality
of this young man and his work, you section, and
that's why they've given him the shot. So you know,
they're saying that so that that to them would be success.
I probably if Liham, you know, wanted to obviously, you know,
try and look at it from a broader think rather

(01:08:20):
than just his absolute did said passion and desire for
what he wants to achieve, that would probably be a
successful weekend. But I just think he's capable of being
being closer than man and you know, yeah, at the
end of the day, the competition is is bigger, faster,
stronger than then. We've hadn't it in quite a while,

(01:08:41):
So you know, he's picked a very tough time to
come into it, but that that's what he's all about.
He wants challenges. He doesn't want it easy. He wants
to want to fight for it and prove that he's
better than everybody else.

Speaker 2 (01:08:51):
How much will team orders affect the way that Liam drives,
is able to drive, how much doll he have to
follow rebel instructions and realize he's number two to the
step him.

Speaker 10 (01:09:03):
Well, that will come.

Speaker 18 (01:09:04):
I don't think that's on the table anyway the moment.
You know, there's it's very early as twenty four races
this year, and they'll they'll they'll likely hope the hope
that comes a time because if if that's if that's
coming into effect, well that means that he's doing his
job so and doing it very very well. So right

(01:09:24):
now at the moment, I mean, if if Liam qualified
third tomorrow and Max qualified ten, there's not going to
be any team orders in play. You know that will
come much much later in the season.

Speaker 2 (01:09:35):
How do you assess Lam's ability to adjust to what
will be a hugely increased spotlight because he's now part
of what is a massive, massive Formula one road show.

Speaker 18 (01:09:47):
He's been dealing with it now for a couple of seasons.
I mean, Netflix has been hounding him, he's been he's
been real right and the thick of it with the
whole Danie Riccardo situation. So the spotlight has been on him.
You know, he is now a star. He's a superstar,
and he really what he really was starting to grow
into that that space, you know a couple of years ago,
you know, with with the talk and the chat around

(01:10:07):
what he was, you know, what he was touted for,
and and the conversations around and replacing Chico last year,
Assujio Perez last year, you know, and then and then
he was thrust into it with a quite badly handled
situation with Red Bull last year when the chat around
Daniel Riccardo started to come that he was going to
get replaced, and then when it did happen, was announced

(01:10:29):
at Singapore, it was it was handled very very badly,
and he was you know, he was attacked a little
bit from what I gather by all the keyboard warriors,
and so you've got to handle all that stuff and
manage it. And I think he does that, you know,
very very well. And that's that's part of why he
is what he is and why he is so successful
so far, and because he manages the mental side of

(01:10:49):
it and is able to compartmentalize those those things and
put them to one side. And you've got to have
that mental strength in this game. If you don't have
the mental strength. You are going to struggle just to finish.

Speaker 2 (01:11:01):
Can you somehow put us in that driver's seat on
the starting grid on Sunday as as he gets ready
to go. I know he's done it before, Greg, but
this is different. Isn't it a full time drive race
one of twenty twenty five? Do you think you'll be nervous? Excited?
What will the emotions, the overriding ones be?

Speaker 12 (01:11:17):
Probably all of those things.

Speaker 9 (01:11:18):
I would say, I mean, I can't.

Speaker 18 (01:11:20):
I can't put you in that seat because I mean,
the level that I've competed at in the past, it
doesn't come close. Really.

Speaker 9 (01:11:26):
I don't think it's.

Speaker 18 (01:11:27):
All relative, of course, but this is the highest social
on the pinnacle of motorsport. The eyes that will be
watching will be enormous. The judgments from those that deserve
to have that option to judge, and certainly most of
the people that don't. You know, it's putting all that
aside and actually and actually celebrating, you know, this as

(01:11:49):
well for him, so hopefully he can enjoy it and
actually take the moment in and use that as well
as a bit of a force. But yeah, listen, everyone's
got to be a little anxious, you know, but it's
also about the opportunity, the excitement of of what it
all means. So you know he's ready for He's absolute,
one hundred percent ready for. The performances that we've seen

(01:12:11):
him in the B car over the last two seasons
are just phenomenal. And he doesn't care about who he's
racing against. He doesn't care about Lewis Hamilton, Maxis step
and all those guys and what they've done and their
achievements and.

Speaker 6 (01:12:24):
Who they are.

Speaker 18 (01:12:25):
They just race car drivers to him.

Speaker 12 (01:12:26):
Next the way you've got to.

Speaker 7 (01:12:27):
Look at it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:28):
What an exciting weekend ahead of us. Thanks so much
for joining us, Greg and the lead up. We look
forward to seeing how it plays out in Melbourne and
across twenty twenty five as well. Thanks for your time, mate, brilliant,
Thanks mate, Now, thank you Greg. Greg Murphy. There part
of Sky's coverage of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix
and in fact the entire Formula One season. We had
Trevor on before asking the question about the cars and

(01:12:48):
why they're not specifically designed for drivers. How good mate.
Bob McMurray was listening in and he's given us the answer, Trevor.
To answer the question, the basic design philosophy of the
car is the same for each car, but individual drivers
can adjust whatever they want to suit their driving styles.
As with Lewis Hamilton now at Ferrari, he's having trouble
with the inherent understeer which Charles Leclair. Charl Leclair has preferred.

(01:13:13):
It's all to do with the basic design. That is
why each make of car is different. Brilliant, Bob. Thanks
for that extra piece of information, Trevor. I hope you
got the info you're after there. Piney says this one.
I heard you say yesterday on z B you weren't
worried at all for Liam, but you were worried about
the Warriors.

Speaker 10 (01:13:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:13:32):
Well I got that one wrong, didn't I about the Warriors?
Carlos is pony. Hope Liam gets around the track really quickly,
bearing in mind he's never raced on that track prior
to this weekend. All the other rookies have. We've heard
it before. Kiwis can fly, Go Liam, Good on your
Carlos go Liam. Indeed, so, final practice session in around
an hour or so, qualifying from six tonight, Race day

(01:13:53):
tomorrow from five after midday tomorrow will we'll dive back
into Formula One. We're keen to give it a lot
of a lot of exposure this weekend because this is
something pretty special being done by a pretty special key.
Nineteen to two. Will take a break, get you across
to Australian off for Formula One, but for other sport.
Our regular across the Ditch correspondent Adam Peacock with us

(01:14:16):
when we come.

Speaker 1 (01:14:17):
Back the tough Questions Off the turf. Weekend Sport with
Jason Hine and GJ. Gardnerholmes, New Zealand's most trusted home builders.

Speaker 2 (01:14:27):
Sixteen to two after two o'clock on weekend Sports, Sir
Russell Coots, CEO of SALGP is going to join us
to talk about some new investment, including a pretty high
profile sports star investing into the French sal GP team.
But also keen to air from Sir Russell and I'll
ask him whether they've made any progress around a long
term deal for Auckland. The Auckland event in January terrific

(01:14:51):
by every measure I heard. There's an economic impact report
out on it which is very, very glowing in the
amount of money that came into Auckland from sal GP.
So have they made any progress around a five to
five year deal, which is what Sir Russell talked to
us about when he when he came into our broadcast
position during the Auckland event. He said, look, we want
to stay here and we want to come back here

(01:15:11):
every year for the next five years and beyond. So
we keen to know whether that conversation has been progressed
with those who need to listen to it in Auckland.
But let's get you across the Tasman at one forty five.
Our Australian correspondence is a long time Manly Eagles fan,
Adam Peacock. I'm a little a little bit surprised you

(01:15:32):
picked up mate.

Speaker 8 (01:15:35):
Sorry, the lines just dropping out of your hair.

Speaker 2 (01:15:36):
Fini Wow did you see that coming last night? We didn't.

Speaker 8 (01:15:42):
Yes, and no, I know. Ten minutes in well when
we just launched into a brilliant try to score early
and then it's like okay, yeah, same old, same old,
But now we just lost lot of control of the
game and didn't have any momentum. Half time was good
to us, but they're still just making silly airs and
the pressure from the Warriors obviously comped up a bit

(01:16:02):
after copying it in Vegas and then come and playing
in front of their home crowd. Obviously a bit of
a motion around Tayo Harris data ceremony before so perfect
Soilmful Warriors capitalized on it and yeah, one of those
nights at which kind of shows me why, like everyone
want to getting carried away. I think last week's how
Manly a genuine Premiership contender, not really because they lose

(01:16:26):
games like this, and yeah, until until it's about winning
games like that, they're getting nowhere near the last game
of the season.

Speaker 2 (01:16:32):
And to compound it all as well, injuries to a
couple of pretty key players, Tom Treboievitch and Daily Cheery
evens as well. Man he looked a major discomfort Daily, didn't.

Speaker 8 (01:16:42):
They I've been there. I've I've come home once and
got out of the car and I back went into
total spasm, and our labor on my front morn for
the next hour to back just completely locks in the
fact that Daily Terry and you can see when he's
walking off he is in so much pain just putting
one foot in front of the other. It is the worst,

(01:17:03):
like horrible, So I can't imagine he his plane trip
home where he has to sit for two hours and
really compromise that back would be anything anywhere near front.
So yeah, feel for the kay just as my eyes
were watering when I was watching that. So hopefully it
can clear and he can play next week. But there's
obviously something structurally play in there that they'll have to

(01:17:24):
check out and hope that he's okay.

Speaker 2 (01:17:26):
All right, we'll hope for the best for Daily Cherry Evans.
Just while we're on the subject of the NRL, Dylan
Brown officially inking the most lucrative contact and contract rather
in our history, joining Newcastle next year for ten years.
The length of the contract seems to be the thing
which is raising most eyebrows.

Speaker 10 (01:17:43):
Yeah, so.

Speaker 8 (01:17:45):
Look, Newcastle needs to make a splash in the recruitment market.
They've missed out on a number of players. I've had
a couple of players leave as well. I sort out
their salary cap and I thought this was the best
way of doing it, to go harder to player like
Dylan Brown. Enormous potential still ever know he's kind of
established himself as an international player for the Kiwis. But yeah,

(01:18:06):
but you look at it and Michael Chammis from The
Herald actually did a bit of digging about Okay, what's
that one point three million a year mean? And oddly
enough you're decade on decades, so you go back thirty years,
twenty years, ten years, the salary cap has essentially doubled
each time, so I think Newcastle have looked at it
and gone, okay, we're going to double, We're going to bet.

(01:18:26):
But that one point three is actually not a huge
amount when you look in six, seven years, eight years
time comparatively to the rest of the salaries which are
going to kind of climb up with the salary cap
climbing up. So it's a bit of a risk. Look
in the next five years is a huge risk because
this guy hasn't proved himself as a match winner week

(01:18:47):
in week out, like a like a daily Jerry Evans
for instance, or a Shawn Johnson.

Speaker 14 (01:18:51):
Or you know.

Speaker 8 (01:18:52):
So you know it's to throw at the stumps, but
it's a big throw at the stumps.

Speaker 2 (01:18:57):
Yeah, it's a wonderful it's a wonderful use of mixing
metaphors across sports to throw at the stumps and rugby
lege I love it, love it. Let's let's go to
football with a soccer and the week ahead of a
couple of pretty crucial World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia at
home and then China away, coach Tony Popovich has named
the squad. I've seen mixed reviews on the squad selection.

(01:19:17):
What do you make of it?

Speaker 8 (01:19:19):
Yeah, it feels like Popper has basically just gone, Okay,
we've got two huge games that we can't stuck up in.
I don't have much time with them. I'm going to
go with players that I know personally and I know
how to trigger them to get the best out of them,
which yeah, I get, But is that representative of what

(01:19:39):
you need in a national team setting. It's not a club,
it's a national team. It's Oh, it's very harsh on
guys like Nesrara and Kunda, who deserves to be there,
I mean, and Max Ballard for intance as well. That
like he's gone with a guy Ryan T's, with all
due respect the Ryants, he's playing in the A League.
Max Ballard's playing in the whole and week in week out,

(01:19:59):
playing really well. And he's the type of player in
my opinion anyway, that soft Wo's needs. So he's he's
put himself out there. But now if he gets two results,
it's like, oh, i'll play on too good, Good on you.
But if you don't, he's left himself wide open to
be rightly criticized in my opinion to And this is
all this so no one's the expert here. We're only

(01:20:21):
experts telling up to the fact.

Speaker 11 (01:20:22):
Really, but.

Speaker 8 (01:20:24):
Yeah, good question mark for me.

Speaker 2 (01:20:26):
Yeah, I have read a lot of the same stuff.
And yeah, the players you mentioned are and Kunda Ballad both, Yeah,
both I think worthy of inclusion. But let's see how
it goes. It might turn out that Pop is a
genius and we'll find that out over the next week
or so. Just to finish, Stuart McGill X international cricketer
found guilty of taking part in the supply of cocaine.

(01:20:47):
Sad story this anything you can add?

Speaker 8 (01:20:49):
Oh, really from the fact that this is what happens
when you go off the rails. Yeah, it's sad. It's
like one of the he had a great media career,
he had a great cricket career. I don't know how
he gets involved in this, but teencations obviously got the
better of him and it's just sad. In Capital letters.
That's what's happened to the guy because he had a

(01:21:12):
lot more of the offer and retirement to cricket and
also his own life. But nice, I mean now I'm
just going to say, probably stare at a wall in
a gail cell for for a while. Yeah, odd ye
and sad.

Speaker 2 (01:21:26):
Odd and said, very good way of summing it up.
All right, mate, Well you look you're mainly supporting wounds. Well,
well we'll acturiate an Aria victory on the side of
the testman ov you see eagles and and hopefully we
can continue our conversations and chat again next Saturday.

Speaker 8 (01:21:42):
All good, I've already forgotten it happened.

Speaker 2 (01:21:45):
Good, thanks mate, and thanks for taking our callers always.
Adam Peacock he's our Australian correspondent. Hear him around this
time every Saturday afternoon here on Weekend Sport eight to
two New Talk.

Speaker 1 (01:21:58):
Breaking down the Hail Mary's and the every field Weekend
Sport with Jason yin News Talk zenb.

Speaker 2 (01:22:06):
What are we five to two updating you on plankets,
your cricket. Three games going on around the place. They're
into their third day of four main power Oval Lungiorda
the Wellington fire Bits bowled out in their second innings
this morning for two hundred and twenty. That leaves Canterbury
five hundred and three to beat them. This is after
Canterbury were boiled out for sixty eight yesterday, so in

(01:22:27):
the chase for five hundred and three, they're sixty six
for one. Canterbury at Eden Parks out rival Auckland are
seventeen for one in their second innings. That after Northern
Districts were boiled out for four hundred and fifty five
earlier today Henry Cooper with a big one hundred four
normOn Districts. And in Alexandra, Beautiful Alexandra in Central Otago,
the Otago Vaults have just started their second innings. They

(01:22:50):
scored three hundred and ninety for seven declared in their
first cent drawl. Have declared behind at three hundred for
six declared so Otago II without loss. That's a lead
of ninety two runs with ten second innings wickets remaining there.
We'll keep eyes on those particular fixtures for you. As
far as other live sport is concern, We're about to
have the next round of Super Rugby Opa key kickoff.

(01:23:11):
This is round three Mata two against the Blues women.
This should be quite a good game. Actually, MATHA two
have been doing okay. The Blues have gone to Nelson
in search of another win. That game underway at five
past two. The other game looks a bit of a
foregone conclusion. Chiefs Manawah welcome the Hurricanes poet to Hamilton

(01:23:31):
at four thirty five this afternoon. Chiefs Manawa heavily favored
in that one. After our new sport and weather at two,
we're back into it with Sale GP CEO Sir Russell
Coots joining us after two. Lots to chat about in
terms of new investment, the possibility of some new teams
and a long term deal for Auckland. I'll put all
those questions to Sir Russell. After two, Mtchay out of

(01:23:53):
the black Caps ahead of their T twenty series against
Pakistan and one of our rising basketball stars as well.

Speaker 1 (01:24:02):
The only place to discuss the biggest spoors issues on
and faster fields, it's all on wigon Ford with Jason
Vane on your home of Sports Talks two six.

Speaker 2 (01:24:15):
This is Weekend Sport until three Tim Beverage. After that
with the Weekend Collective, we'll keep an eye on Super Rugby,
O Picky and plunket shield cricket across this hour, we'll
keep the lines open. A eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty nine nine two one text March Madness Massive in
the US. This is the Collegiate Basketball Championship NCAA Division One.

(01:24:37):
So basically the best college basketball team in the United
States is found every March in a single elimination tournament
called March Madness. Couple of Kiwi's Ben Gold out of
Marquette and Kew and when he were Tate Jones should
be there as well with UC San Diego. Only when

(01:24:57):
he were Tate Jones with US this out to talk
about his excellent season and career aspirations. Mitch a out
of the black Caps. They started twenty series against Pakistan tomorrow,
part of a double header, in fact, double headers plural
over the next five games, with the black Caps and
the White Ferns playing at the same venue. So christ
Church tomorrow, Sir Russell Cootson, just a moment's our GP CEO,

(01:25:22):
and I think that's all I had to tell you
at this time. I think it is. So let's move
on as we approach eight past two as we always do.
At this time. It is time to catch you up
on some of the things that you might have missed.
We of course call it in case you missed it.
Starting with cricket and a disappointing outing for the White

(01:25:43):
Ferns and the first of their T twenty matches again
Sri Lanka last night.

Speaker 13 (01:25:47):
And the one fielder out that was there for the
prossiber catching opportunity that is, of course where the ball goes.
It just takes one ball from Suzie Bates to get
that one run required in Stri Lanka. They have been
dominant today. They've been clinical in everything that they have done.

Speaker 2 (01:26:04):
Yeah, seven wicket win for scheral Anka to bounce back
nicely from their defeats in the One Day series of
New Zealand all out one oh one, Tri Lanka one
hundred and two for three at Hackley overall last night.
Another gold fist in the A League. It is brat
Sett but he's done it.

Speaker 1 (01:26:25):
Well.

Speaker 13 (01:26:25):
Luke Brandon at.

Speaker 4 (01:26:26):
The double and we're not going to have another four
bomb because now.

Speaker 2 (01:26:30):
It's five here. MacArthur beating Adelaide United five four last night.
Adelaide scored and added time to make it what they
thought would be five all, but it was chalked off
by a linesman's flag. It would have been a cracker,
a five all drawer. You don't get too many of those.
A big one for the Brumbies meantime in Super Rugby. Right,
Look if the bot he sends.

Speaker 4 (01:26:52):
One word, yeah, what heck heck you telling me that?
Fuckod Sorry, Isa fotch top draw fact market from riding the.

Speaker 2 (01:27:02):
Brumbies and Land, he's got three thirty eight twenty one,
the Brumbies over the Fiji and dreuer to take them
for the meantime anyway up to second on the Super
Rugby table and then the NRL last night, a result
no one saw coming. No, not the Warriors, We've talked
about them. The Penrith Panthers up ended by the Sydney
Roosters thirty eight thirty two.

Speaker 4 (01:27:24):
The final play, Yo Sorenson goes long two and two.

Speaker 13 (01:27:31):
He's planned it on.

Speaker 2 (01:27:33):
The corner post no time.

Speaker 4 (01:27:35):
An extraordinary finish to an.

Speaker 20 (01:27:38):
Extraordinary game, which is touching it.

Speaker 4 (01:27:40):
It is one of Tres Robinson's greatest victories, a three
type premiership winner. Yet it's a Round two game that
he can look at.

Speaker 1 (01:27:51):
As one of the greatest analyzing every view from every
angle in the sporting world. Weekends for it with Jason pine.

Speaker 2 (01:28:01):
Us talks eNB it is teen pass two su GP
hits Los Ange Julies this weekend for the fourth event
in the current season. The French sale GP team, meantime,
has announced new investment from a very high profile athlete,
Coalition Capital, which is owned by French football superstar Killian Imbarpe,

(01:28:24):
has become a new partner and he, inspired by k
M Association, will become the French team's official charity partner.
Sal GP CEO, of course is Sir Russell Kutzer joins
us now, Sir Russell, thanks for your time killing em
Barbe one of the biggest names in global sport. How
big is this for you to have him associate himself

(01:28:44):
with sale GP.

Speaker 11 (01:28:47):
Oh, I think it's fantastic news.

Speaker 19 (01:28:49):
You know, it brings more e eyeballs onto the sport
and you know, great news for the French team too,
obviously with you know, I mean to have a sports
star of that sort of profile involved with them is great,
you know, it as was you know when when said
Sebastian Vettel, you know, partnered with the German team.

Speaker 11 (01:29:13):
That was you know, also significant for the Germans.

Speaker 19 (01:29:17):
And as a result of that, you know, I mean
that they're getting a lot more coverage in Germany. They're
on ZDF now and we know from ticket sales from
that event that's coming up in August, it's going to
be a fantastic event, you know.

Speaker 11 (01:29:31):
So these are the things help a lot and you know,
absolutely thrilled to have involved in.

Speaker 19 (01:29:39):
And I think I believe he's going to be at
the New York event at the Bardle of Sol GP,
New York, so.

Speaker 11 (01:29:46):
That's gonna be fun to hopefully meet him there.

Speaker 2 (01:29:49):
Absolutely. I was going to ask about the Central Pe
event in France and September, but I guess that kind
of falls in the in the European football season. But
any chance to man himself like pop into the French event.

Speaker 11 (01:30:00):
Who knows?

Speaker 19 (01:30:01):
I mean, as I said, I understand that he's the
plans of being made from to be in New York,
so that'd be great. Are you going to be in
Center page, Jason? Is that one that's on your character?

Speaker 2 (01:30:15):
Well, I would never I would never turn down a
trip to CenTra Fe, Sir Russell, as you would know,
how do commercial deals like this come together. Is it
each of the individual syndicates who go out to the market.
Do you, as the overriding organization get involved. How do
these commercial deals work?

Speaker 20 (01:30:33):
Now?

Speaker 19 (01:30:34):
In this case, this is the teams occasionally, you know,
well not occasionally. We also get approaches from outside entities
as to you know, especially now that's quite a regular thing,
you know, as to which teams are available to take
investment and so forth. But some of the teams are

(01:30:57):
also selling parcels of equity now in their teams. And
we're about to take Team thirteen and four fourteen to market. Well,
there will be a fairly structured process behind that this time,
so that'll go to market soon and then we know

(01:31:19):
that there are potential buyers out there that will be
bidding for those.

Speaker 11 (01:31:24):
Next two teams. So, you know, it's exciting time for
for s LGP.

Speaker 19 (01:31:30):
We're growing pretty rapidly and you know, if I'm honest
with you, I never thought we'd be selling teams at
these sort of premiums, you know, even two years ago.

Speaker 11 (01:31:41):
It's it's it's amazing to see the growth.

Speaker 2 (01:31:45):
Because you added Brazil and Italy of course for this
season to take it to twelve, so fourteen is that?
Is that what your plan is for the next ol
GP season?

Speaker 19 (01:31:56):
Yes, it is, yeah, yes, so we'll probably go to
a seven and seven format, you know, meaning seven on
one side of the draw, seven on the other and
race more races each of the events. So yeah, that
that's exciting news, you know. And you mentioned the new
Bartle of Brazil SELDP team. They've they've just signed two

(01:32:19):
new sponsors which makes them profitable already, you know, which
is fantastic.

Speaker 11 (01:32:23):
And similar story for the British.

Speaker 19 (01:32:25):
As well, where they've just signed JP Morgan and how
and Insurance, so that takes them into a similar position,
which is great news for the for everyone involved.

Speaker 11 (01:32:37):
You know, the model is for these.

Speaker 19 (01:32:38):
Teams to become profitable and as other facets of the
business grow. Of course, right now it's reliant on sponsorship revenue,
but as the other parts of the business grow, you know,
for example obviously the broadcast and then licensing rights and
participation in their own home events as well, that.

Speaker 11 (01:33:00):
That will only get better.

Speaker 2 (01:33:02):
So gp Auckland's massive success when you were here January,
have you made any progress on remember when you joined
us on the broadcast that day you talked about wanting
to make this a long term thing. I think you
talked about a five year deal with Auckland. Any progress
in locking something like that and over the next few years.

Speaker 11 (01:33:19):
Yeah, well, we're in the final stages of.

Speaker 19 (01:33:23):
Concluding the twenty twenty six calendar, but that's now involving
quite a few venues that have multi term agreements, you know,
so the long term visions that go to twenty plus
events and have events at the same time every year.

Speaker 11 (01:33:39):
So it's in discussion with Auckland.

Speaker 19 (01:33:42):
That we are doing a new four year term with
the right of two year extension or or go straight
to a six year term, So that's in discussion or
six season term.

Speaker 11 (01:33:56):
That's in discussion now and I think it's I think
it'd be great for both parties.

Speaker 19 (01:34:03):
And when you look at other sports events around the world,
you know, look at what they do in Australia with the.

Speaker 11 (01:34:10):
Melbourne you know, with the.

Speaker 19 (01:34:16):
Tennis and the or the Melbourne Cup, you know, as
two examples of sort of iconic annual events that happen
and over time people get to know that those events
are on and you know, we had a great we
just got the economic impact.

Speaker 11 (01:34:34):
Return.

Speaker 19 (01:34:34):
The study on that from back from Deloitte's and indicated
that it was thirty six million US dollars for the
Auckland event sixty two million Kiwi dollars. That's that's fantastic
and that will only grow as as you you know,
sort of becomes a fixed event on the calendar annually.

Speaker 2 (01:34:54):
If I'm involved in this, from an Auckland point of view,
I'm biting your hand off for the six year deal.
Do you feel confident you'll you'll get it?

Speaker 19 (01:35:02):
I think I think all parties are pretty aligned there
that we all want to get it done. From a
Sauldp perspective, it was a magnificent event. I think it
worked for Auckland City as well. Know it worked for
New Zealand. So you know, if you look at the
return on that, you know Deloitte's study, you know, fifteen

(01:35:26):
times plus return is not a bad return. And as
I said, because it's an annual event that grows over time.
So yeah, we're excited about it, and I think the
authorities and you know on the other side, which are
obviously Auckland City and MB are equally motivated to try

(01:35:46):
and conclude arrangements and get a deal in place.

Speaker 11 (01:35:48):
But we'll see.

Speaker 19 (01:35:49):
As I said, we're announcing our calendar or a big
part of our calendar in a few weeks time, so
hopefully Auckland's on it.

Speaker 2 (01:35:57):
Yeah, look forward to seeing Auckland on it. Absolutely. You're
in Los Angeles at the moment for this weekend, followed
immediately by San Francisco. How much you're looking forward to
the next two weekends.

Speaker 11 (01:36:08):
Yeah, it's going to be great. I mean Los Angeles, the.

Speaker 19 (01:36:14):
The Roles Los Angeles Sel Grand Prix, that's going to
be probably lighter to moderate wins. And then obviously the
Oracle San Francisco Soel Grand Prix. We all know what
San Francisco delivers articlarly this time of the year. It's
we may see the strongest wins of the season in
San Francisco, and that's gonna be quite a challenge for the.

Speaker 11 (01:36:38):
For the for the team.

Speaker 19 (01:36:39):
So two very different events, you know, from a New
Zealand standpoint, It's interesting. I've been looking at the data
recently and the Kiwis and the Spanish are by far
the best at gaining positions during the race.

Speaker 11 (01:36:56):
That's the good news. The bad news is that both
of them have been starting poorly.

Speaker 19 (01:37:01):
Now we know that that Pete Building knows how to
start when he needs you know, he can start well,
So they'll be no doubt looking to tidy that up.
And I think if they do, they stand a real
chance of winning here and in San Francisco. So right now,
right now, the Australians are averaging their position at mark one,

(01:37:24):
which is a pretty strong indicator of how they've started.
The Australians are averaging two to three places better than
then all the other teams, so that gives you a
huge advantage, you know, and the Kiwis are not very good.
You know that they are averaging around sixth at turning
mark one, which is not so great.

Speaker 11 (01:37:44):
So so they've got tidy that up, and if they do,
I think they're going to be right in there.

Speaker 19 (01:37:49):
You know that they're clearly they've clearly got the boat
speed and the the I think they sell well tactically
positioning the boat well around the race course and that
means they gain places generally, you know that boat's well.
If they can get off the start line and improve
that even by one or two places on average to
be right in there.

Speaker 2 (01:38:07):
It's pretty tight though for Russell isn't it After three events,
Great Britain, Spain, Australia, New Zealand all within four points
of each other, the top seven separated by just twelve points.
Does this feel like the most competitive sle GP season yet?

Speaker 11 (01:38:20):
Well?

Speaker 19 (01:38:20):
Yeah, there's been three different winners, hasn't there you know,
and so far in the three events, I think the
thing about the British is when you look at their data,
they start well, they're a little bit behind the Australians
in that regard, but they start well, they actually don't
lose places around the course. It's really interesting, you know.

(01:38:42):
So where the Australians have lost some places downwind on
the on occasions and so.

Speaker 11 (01:38:46):
Forth, the British just haven't lost anything, you know.

Speaker 19 (01:38:50):
So where they turn mark one that position from there
on in it's been upside for the British.

Speaker 11 (01:38:56):
Or they've stayed the same, you know.

Speaker 19 (01:38:58):
So and that consistency is meant that they're leading the
role ex SALGP Championship at the States, you know.

Speaker 11 (01:39:04):
So however, you know the next two events are going
to be pretty different.

Speaker 19 (01:39:08):
They'll be very different, i think from what we've seen
so far, and we could see a real shake up,
you know. And as I said, if the Kiwis in
the Spanish can get off the start, and we know
that both those teams can win, so we shall see,
we shall see.

Speaker 2 (01:39:24):
And just back to the French. Sydney was the first
time we've seen them compete. They missed the first two
with equipment problems, but they had a couple of top
three finishers in Fleet Racing and Sydney to finish sixth overall,
Have they sort of themselves out the gears all sorted?

Speaker 11 (01:39:37):
Yeah, they're boats.

Speaker 19 (01:39:38):
We will hopefully called boats on the starting line this
time colp, barring any unforeseen situations like we had in
Sydney with the US team. But anyway that, yeah, they've
been I was super impressed with their performance because they
missed the first two events through no fold of their own,

(01:40:00):
and came out sailing really well in Sydney. So yeah,
that was an impressive performance that you know that that
they obviously performed well last season too and just through
through you know, a place in the final away on
the last day in San Francisco. But I'm able to

(01:40:22):
have learned from that and you'd expect them to be
pretty strong and they're obviously that they're another team.

Speaker 11 (01:40:26):
That's that's that's in a great position.

Speaker 19 (01:40:29):
Commercially as well, which obviously allows them to you know,
plan ahead and bring more up and coming members into
their squad. So obviously with this, you know, sponsorship of
a corps, I know that they've got some other big
announcements pending, you know, and obviously announcing in Bape's participation is.

Speaker 11 (01:40:51):
Only going to help that. So that, yeah, will there
be a strong team in the future. Of course they
are going to be.

Speaker 19 (01:40:56):
You know that they've got I think nationally, they've got
a very strong Olympic program, so they've got a good
you know pathway of young athletes.

Speaker 11 (01:41:08):
That to t happened to in the future, you know,
the French will be strong for some time.

Speaker 2 (01:41:13):
I think, yeah, driven well by Quentin de Lapere of course,
sir rous. Well, just while I've got you before you go,
I'm sure you've seen heard the chat about the America's
Cup potentially returning to Auckland as well in twenty twenty
seven Team New Zealand and discussions around at the moment,
I know it's not not anything to do with you now,
but is that something you'd like to see? Would you
like to see Team New Zealand defend on home waters.

Speaker 11 (01:41:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 19 (01:41:35):
Well, as you know, I sort of stepped out of
the America's Cup some years ago, so I haven't really
been close to it.

Speaker 11 (01:41:41):
I mean, it's America's Cup's obviously a great event. You know,
Soldier piece quite different.

Speaker 19 (01:41:48):
As I said, you know, we're an annual event and
we're building a calendar of twenty plus events a year
and growing the number of teams and rapid growth for SOLDP.
But the America's Cups, you know, one of the oldest,
I think the oldest sporting competition in the world, so
there's some proscedure attached to that for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:42:09):
Well, Sir Russell, all the best for LA this weekend
in San Francisco. I'll keep an eye out for my
own vite to Santra Pe in September. Thanks so much
for joining us on zed BE this afternoon. Thanks Jason,
Thanks to Russell. Sir Russell Coots their CEO of sale
GP out of Los Angeles, where the next event gets
underway around ten o'clock tomorrow morning, New Zealand time. So
I look forward to seeing the Black Foils bounce back

(01:42:31):
from a couple of disappointing regattas in Auckland and then
in Sydney, San Francisco next weekend. Really interesting to hear
that that. I remember when Sir Russell joined us when
we broadcast live from sale GP back in January, and
he said, look, you know, this is a one year
thing for Auckland at the moment, but we're keen to extend.
We're keen to make this a multi year proposition. And

(01:42:54):
he talked about five years when we chatted in January,
and that probably included this year's won so he has
reiterated that. But what did he say? Yes, so four
years with an option for an extra two or just
go straight to the six years, so that would be
five more. And as I said to him, then I'm
if I'm involved in it in terms of attracting events

(01:43:17):
to Auckland, then happy days get amongst it. Those economic
impact reports and we talked about this last week when
we were talking America's Cup, the Barcelona one that showed
it was at one point eight billion dollars of economic impact.
I mean, you always take them with a bit of
a grain of salt because they're they're commissioned by, you know,

(01:43:39):
the organizers of the event to look at to say, hey,
look how much money came into the You know, it
came into the economy from our event being here. But
even so, was it sixty sixty eight? Did sir us
will say there's sixty eight million dollars worth of economic
impact into Auckland. Even if it's only half of that,
What did it cost the Auckland rate pars a million?

(01:43:59):
You'd bite their hand off for it, wouldn't you? Oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty pinety Systeve, we get
to host the America's Cup in Auckland, sal GP will
be on around about the same time. How good would
that be? How good would it be? Indeed, look, I
don't want to relitigate everything we talked about last week
with the America's Cup in terms of bed tax and
all those sorts of things. But surely surely they should

(01:44:22):
sign off on this and have sale GP as an
annual international event in Auckland and if it can be
around it but at the same time every year. Great
around that mid January time, I know, the calen moves
and they're talking about way way more events. You know,
there'll be twenty you know by the time they get
to where they want to be. So might I'll be
that we always get January, but certainly it'll be in

(01:44:43):
the summer months. But if it's there every year in
the calendar, how good text thru here. In the early nineties,
the Victorian government was nearly broke the new stay Governor
Jeff Kennett, the Victoria Premiere rather said a target of
an international or national event every month they achieved and

(01:45:06):
generated large foreign investment and tourism dollars Tennis Grand Prix,
Ozierol's Grand Final, Boxing daytest, et cetera. Yeah, I know
that there's a lot of other things to spend rate
payer money on, but it feels like a million dollars
for an estimated economic impact of sixty eight stacks up
pretty well. Oh eight, one hundred and eighty ten eighty.

(01:45:27):
If you've got a view, particular if you are in
the Auckland region, sal GP long term in Auckland seems
like a no brainer to me. Two twenty eight back
in a moment on NEWSTALKSB the biggest.

Speaker 1 (01:45:37):
Things in sports are on Weekend Sports with Jason Pain
and GJ. Gunnomes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder news TALGSNB.

Speaker 2 (01:45:46):
Just gone two thirty on News TALKSB. The Blues have
opened the scoring against a Mutta two in Super Rugby
opicky in Nelson on what looks to be a beautiful
day in Nelson. Is there any other kind of day
in Nelson? I don't remember too many from when I
when I lived down there. So the Blues are seven
mata to nil after twenty four minutes there. The black

(01:46:07):
Caps meantime into white ball action again tomorrow, the shorter version.
Off the back of their Champions Trophy campaign which saw
them fall just short against India in the final, they're
back into T twenty mode. The first of five T
twenties against Pakistan Hagleyoval tomorrow, followed by three One Day
internationals now. The five T twenty games are all double headers,

(01:46:29):
with the White Ferns playing Sri Lanka in the first
two and then Australia in the next three, so big
double headed days of cricket coming up in christ Church,
then Dunedin, Auckland, Mount Monganui and Wellington. Afresh and exciting
looking Black Cap squad has been named for this one,
including Canterbury wicket keeper batsman Mitchey.

Speaker 14 (01:46:49):
It's really high, and it's long enough as well, comfortably
long enough. That's not fun enough, it's not anywhere now
fun enough.

Speaker 2 (01:47:01):
Now, that's Matchey belting a white ball around the place.
He joins us down much. You got your first taste
of the black cap and white ball matches against Sri
Lanka in Sri Lanka and then back home against the
same old position late last year and into January. How
much did wearing the black cap whet your appetite for
more international cricket.

Speaker 8 (01:47:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:47:19):
Thanks having me on.

Speaker 5 (01:47:20):
Yeah, definitely, It's one of those things you get a
taste for it and it's pretty awesome. It's everything you
sort of dream of, and then when you finish up
the series, that's all you want to do is get
back in the environment. So it's awesome to to be
back in and have some some T twenty CRECKT coming up.

Speaker 2 (01:47:33):
How happy were you with the way you played in
those games away in Sri Lanka and then back home.

Speaker 5 (01:47:38):
Yeah, that pretty contrasting series. The games in Tri Lanka
are pretty pretty low scoring. Key thing was I was
pretty involved up to the stunts there, which was good,
and I was really happy with that. With the bat
was pretty tough work, but I don't think anyone found
it too easy over there. And then you're nice to
contribute back home against the against Sri Lanka back in
New Zealand. So no, I was over all pretty happy
for our first couple of series.

Speaker 17 (01:47:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:48:00):
You look at the game in Mount Monganui, forty one
not out off nineteen balls. How much did you enjoy
enjoy that knock?

Speaker 5 (01:48:07):
Yeah, so it's pretty enjoyable in T twenties and you
get a couple out of the middle and I was like,
I say, really nice to contribute to a good one
that day, and yeah, it's sort of always nice to
to sort of show you can do it on the
international stage.

Speaker 2 (01:48:20):
Have you developed a particular approach to batting in T
twenty cricket?

Speaker 5 (01:48:26):
Yeah, I guess the thing with T twenty cricket and
especially batting in the middle order have to be quite adaptable,
can be quite Yeah, it's probably not one blanket recipe
that will work all the time. So it's trying to
adjust to the situation and the conditions and managed to
adapt as well as I can to get a performance
on the board to the team.

Speaker 2 (01:48:43):
Because I guess that you're sitting there waiting to come in,
and you know, when you're panned out, you think, okay,
there might be able to eight overs to go, but
then you might be sitting there and all of a
sudden there's only three overs to go. So as your
mindset constantly changing as you're sitting there waiting for your turn.

Speaker 5 (01:48:56):
Yeah, I try not to be use up too much
energy waiting to bat, but it's definitely changes pretty quickly,
and often you don't have all that much time when
you get out there.

Speaker 7 (01:49:06):
You know, see a few balls and then have a crack.

Speaker 5 (01:49:08):
And sometimes you can give yourself slightly more time, like
you say, if you've got eight or nine overs, but yeah,
it can be quite few few sometimes, so you come
in and come pretty hard and hope that it's your day.

Speaker 2 (01:49:19):
What about wicket keeping in T twenty cricket? Much because
you know, off the one hundred and twenty balls to
get bold, you know only three or four might come
through to you, right, So what's the How different is
wicket keeping in T twenty even compared to fifty over cricket.

Speaker 5 (01:49:34):
Yeah, it's definitely a little bit different. I found I
had a pretty interesting start to it in Sri Lanka,
where I think the amount of balls I caught up
to the stump sort of been ridiculously high with the
amount of turn there was, so there was probably a
bit of a false introduction to T twenty creet.

Speaker 11 (01:49:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:49:49):
Back in New Zealand it was definitely less balls come through,
but I think the ones that do come through are
often chances or the batsman's done something pretty funky in
front of you, so the takes in never that easy.
But yeah, like you say, it's often not that many,
but when they do come through, it's pretty crucial.

Speaker 2 (01:50:04):
And what about the connection with the captain and the
bowlers as well? You see a lot from your vantage
point behind the stump, So do you feel confident and
even in a black CAP's environment which is took quite
new to you, to pass on that information to people
who might need it.

Speaker 5 (01:50:19):
Yeah, I think that's the great thing about the environment
is that there's a lot of experience guys, but they
sort of welcome you in and it's pretty relaxed environment
and everyone gets around you and gets on really well.
So feel pretty comfortable from the first game to have
you say if you see something and they take that
on as well. Because I guess we've all played a
lot of cricket. They've played a lot more than me
at the international level, but the cricket is still the same.

Speaker 2 (01:50:41):
Your most recent cricket's been red Bull stuff, hasn't it.
The Canterbury had a Plunket shell game earlier in the
month before that fifty over cricket, so it's been what's
six weeks or so since the Super Smash finished. Do
you find the adjustment relatively easy to make though, between
the formats and between the color of the cricket ball.

Speaker 5 (01:50:58):
Yeah, I really like the change in format. I think
it keeps it all pretty fresh, especially this timeless season
where sort of at the back end it's quite nice
to sort of switch it up a little bit. I know,
the first red Bull game back after a big diet
of white ball cricket was I don't know, my first
net scision back. It was actually quite nice to defend
a few and leave a few. So I quite enjoyed

(01:51:19):
the change up and playing slightly different shots. And I
guess all you know, it's still cricket, still keeping, still betting,
So yeah, now I do enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (01:51:26):
Yeah, when was the last time you let a ball
go through to the keeper as a white ball batter.

Speaker 9 (01:51:32):
None so intentionally.

Speaker 2 (01:51:35):
Love it in first chance to play for New Zealand,
I think in your hometown tomorrow. How special is that
going to be?

Speaker 18 (01:51:40):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:51:41):
And that's very exciting. When I saw the schedule to
have a game of Haggler, I was pretty excited. It's
been a dream to groups and you're doing it at
home in front of friends and family.

Speaker 6 (01:51:51):
So it's going to be pretty exciting.

Speaker 2 (01:51:52):
And really unfortunately it sounds like it's going to be
close to a sellout as well. I think as we
talked today less than five hundred tickets available, be over
eight thousand there. Would that be the biggest Hagglely crowd
you've played in front of?

Speaker 1 (01:52:05):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:52:05):
Yeah, definitely the bigges Taglar crowd I've played in front of.
I'm not too sure what we get for sub smash games,
but it wouldn't be anything close to that, I don't imagine.
So that's gonna be a pretty cool occasion.

Speaker 2 (01:52:15):
Must be exciting a start of a series, fresh looking team,
a lot of new faces and new Wish faces, including you, Sarah.
Do you get a sense of excitement around the group.

Speaker 7 (01:52:24):
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 5 (01:52:25):
I think the group's very excited to sort of join
up a few new guys who I haven't spent all
the time with as well, so that it was exciting
to get to know them and just get around them
a bit, which is cool and I think, yeah, definitely
can feel the excitement in the group for a five
match two twenty series, which is yeah, slightly more than.

Speaker 2 (01:52:43):
Usual, absolutely and a bit of a traveling roadshow as
well to the five venues I mentioned before. It's great
to chat mate just before you go. Your partner Lara
is part of the Wellington Phoenix women's side. There are
away at Sydney FC tonight. You're going to get the
chance to have a lot.

Speaker 5 (01:52:57):
Yeah, I'll definitely be watching. I tune into to most games,
so yeah, I'll definitely be keeping an eye.

Speaker 11 (01:53:02):
On that one.

Speaker 2 (01:53:03):
The good stuff mate, Well, all the best tomorrow and
for the rest of the T twenty series. And beyond
appreciate you taking the time for a chat.

Speaker 5 (01:53:09):
Thank you appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:53:10):
No, thank you, Mitch Mitchey. We could keeper batsman with
Canterbury and with the Black Caps for these upcoming T
twenty matches. So as I say, they're all double headers
and the first two of them are very family friendly
in terms of the times. Ten to fifteen tomorrow at
Hagley Oval is the women's game. That's New Zealand against
Sri Lanka, followed by the men's game at two fifteen.

(01:53:33):
I think it is ten fifteen and two fifteen. Yeah,
that sounds right. Yeah, two fifteen is the men's game.
So yeah, big crowd as I expected at Hagley tomorrow.
Last I heard there are only a few hundred tickets left.
So looking forward to seeing both our white fans and
Black Caps in action over the next couple of weeks
in five double headers. All five for the men are
against Pakistan, the next two for the women are against

(01:53:54):
Sri Lanka and then the following three against Australia. It's
going to be very exciting to see New Zealand against
Australia in T twenty women's cricket in the next couple
of weeks. Twenty one away from three another try to
the lose and Nelson they lead to fourteen nil with
seven minutes to go in the first half. When we
come back, we go stateside and catch up with one

(01:54:15):
of the rising stars of New Zealand basketball, a young
man who's helped his college go deeper than they ever
have before in terms of March madness in the NCAA
National Championship. He's with us right after this on News Talks.

Speaker 1 (01:54:30):
Heb don't get caught off side eighty weekends for US
with Jason Paine and GJ. Gardnerholmes, New Zealand's most trusted
home builder News Talks MV.

Speaker 2 (01:54:42):
Coming up seventeen to three New Zealander only one newer.
Tate Jones, is enjoying perhaps the best season ever by
a KIWI in US college basketball history.

Speaker 3 (01:54:53):
Argris, that's going to be short and punched out of
there by Tate Jones.

Speaker 2 (01:54:58):
Here's flight twelve.

Speaker 6 (01:54:59):
For a down.

Speaker 2 (01:55:03):
Coming out of that time out fifteen point leader ten
O run the last sixty second when he said that
he had nothing but the floor in front of him. Man,
he had a big old smile on his face, didn't he?

Speaker 11 (01:55:17):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:55:18):
Twenty eight for Tate Jones coming from down under the
throwing gain.

Speaker 11 (01:55:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:55:22):
Only when he were Tate Jones playing for UC San Diego.
He started all thirty two games and led the team
in scoring, rebounding, and assists to lead a side to
their first Big West regular season championship with a twenty
eight win four loss record. This in their first year
as a fully fledged Division one program. He's now scored

(01:55:43):
over one thousand career points in NCAA Division One. Was
named Big West Newcomer of the Year in twenty twenty three,
twenty four and the overall Big West Player of the
Year for twenty twenty four twenty five only when he
was only when he were Tate Jones is with us, Neila,
thanks for taking the time for a chat. What a
time for you. Let's start with your team being Big

(01:56:06):
West regular season champions. How big a deal is this?

Speaker 20 (01:56:11):
Yes, sir, now, thank you for having me on. But
I appreciate you taking the time. Yeah, like you said, man,
this season has been amazing. To be Big West champions
for the first time in school history is amazing and
I think to win it as New Zealand is also
special as well. So yeah, this season has been amazing. Man.
I couldn't ask for a bit of year. And we're

(01:56:33):
not done yet, so I just keep running the waves.

Speaker 2 (01:56:36):
I want to talk about what to head for you
in the next little while. But as far as winning
the Big West Player of the Year award, I know
it's a team game, but as an individual accolte, how
big a thrill was that for you?

Speaker 20 (01:56:48):
It's been awesome man, to win an award like that.
I mean, like you said, I wouldn't have got there
without my teammates. But no, I've put in, I worked,
I worked hard for this, man, I worked my whole
life for this. So I'm grateful now that I'm getting
the fruits of all my work. And yeah, it's amazing.

Speaker 11 (01:57:06):
Man.

Speaker 20 (01:57:08):
Couldn't have scripted it any better.

Speaker 2 (01:57:10):
All right, Well, as you say, you're not done yet.
Next up is March Madness. Now, a lot of people
back here know about that, a single elimination tournament to
find the men's college basketball national champion. One of the
biggest annual sporting events in the United States. So what
do you have to do to make it to March Madness?
For starters?

Speaker 20 (01:57:28):
Right, So, I'm in Vegas right now. We're playing our
conference tournament. So if we win our conference tournament, we
get an automatic bid, so we come in as the
one seed, so we get a buyer straight to the semifinal.
So yeah, we play in our semi final game tomorrow
and if we win that, we go to the championship game,

(01:57:48):
and if we win the championship game, we get automatic
bid to March Madness. But we've also had a really
good year, like you said, with twenty eight and four,
so it's looking like when or last in our tournament,
we should still have a shot at getting to March Madness.
It just depends on They have a thing called Selection Sunday,
where like the nc DOWA committee vote on who they

(01:58:09):
think should go to the tournament. So hopefully we'll get
some votes for an at large bid. But yeah, if
we win this tournament in Vegas, then we'll be playing there.

Speaker 2 (01:58:19):
Outstanding on As I said, it's become this massive event.
How big a deal would it be for you see
San Diego to go to March Madness.

Speaker 20 (01:58:28):
It would be a huge, man. I mean even winning
the Big West Championship that was amazing, like we saw,
you know, heaps and news articles. We're on the news,
San Diego News, National news, they had us in the
New York Times. So and it would be the first
time for the school to go to March Madness. So

(01:58:49):
now if we were to do that in our first year, Algy,
well it would be insane.

Speaker 2 (01:58:52):
Well, can't wait to see how you go on your
on your quest for that. Take us back here, well,
tell us about your basketball journey. Where'd it begin and
how has it taken you Stateside?

Speaker 11 (01:59:03):
Oh?

Speaker 20 (01:59:03):
Yes, So I started playing in Wellington with the late
Kenny McFadden. He's been my coach up until he sadly
passed away. So yeah, all credit to him. He got me.
He trained me every day for six years in the
morning morning trainings up there at ASB and Wellington. And yeah,
because of him, I was fortunate enough to get a

(01:59:26):
scholarship at Hawaii he Loo, which was a Division two school,
and then yeah, I did three years there and then
I transferred. I moved schools to where I'm at now
you see San Diego, which is Division one. And yeah,
I mean all credit to Kenny mack. I wouldn't be
here without him, So yeah, man, he's I wouldn't be

(01:59:47):
here without him for sure.

Speaker 16 (01:59:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:59:48):
He's influenced plenty of people, you included, and is fondly
remembered not only in Wellington but in New Zealand basketball
circles as well. So the standard you're playing at it,
you know in the Big West. Can you can you
give us some sort of comparison or maybe just just
outline for us what the standard is like, like the
games of basketball you're playing in.

Speaker 20 (02:00:09):
I mean, it's a real high level, man, it's it's
one of the top level in American collegiate basketball. We
have NBA guys who are projected to get drafted. In
our league, we play against guys who are going to
get drafted and go to the NBA. I've played it.
Last year, I played against NBA guys. So it's the

(02:00:30):
best of the best.

Speaker 2 (02:00:30):
Man outstanding, and as far as your success is concerned,
as I said at the top of the chat, you
let the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists. So an
all round game obviously is what you provide for your team.
What are your your particular strengths, all the things that
you like to be known for.

Speaker 20 (02:00:50):
You know, I think I get downhill a lot, I
get to the rim, I draw a lot of fouls,
and I just play hard. You know, I'm fortunate enough
to have coaches who believe in me and believe in
what I can do, and they give me the ball.
So yeah, I get downhill a lot. I create for
my teammates redone the ball, and like you said, I

(02:01:11):
do a lot of things on the court, and yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (02:01:14):
Think I saw a stat that you're one of the
leading free throw Well you've been to the free throw
line probably more than most other people, So that talks
about you know, getting into heavy traffic Philly often. You've
got no worries about doing that.

Speaker 20 (02:01:26):
Yeah, yeah, I lead the country and free froze made
and attempted. So yeah, I think I credit that to
my rugby background. You know, I played rugby growing up,
so you know, I'm not afraid of the contact. I
like to get physical.

Speaker 2 (02:01:39):
So yeah, how many more years then do you have it?
You see San Diego?

Speaker 20 (02:01:44):
So this is my last year. I'm in my last
year at school here, and yeah, I'm not really sure
what's going to come afterwards. I'm just kind of running
the wave at the moment, we're having an awesome year.
We're not done yet. And then after the season, I'm
just going to see what happens, man, And you know,
whatever happens will happen. God's got his plan for me. Yeah,

(02:02:06):
I'm just enjoying every moment of it.

Speaker 2 (02:02:08):
Are what are some of the things that could happen?
I mean, we talk like as the NBA A goal
of yours.

Speaker 20 (02:02:15):
Yeah, for sure, I think definitely after the year that
we've had, I've been talking to a few NBA teams,
NBA agents, So yeah, I'm going to test the waters
for sure and just see what happens.

Speaker 2 (02:02:26):
You'd have to think though, that if you go to
March Madness, which by the sounds of things, you've got
a great chance of doing, there will be a lot
of eyes on you. Is that is that the case
that that playing in March Madness might put you on
the radar of even more teams.

Speaker 20 (02:02:41):
Percent I think because we're kind of a new school,
so they're not used to having this type of success,
So a lot of people don't really know about us.
So I think if if we're able to go and
play on such a huge stage, I mean, the whole
of America will be watching. So yeah, if we can
get and play on this stage, I mean everyone's going.

Speaker 16 (02:03:01):
To see it.

Speaker 2 (02:03:02):
And you're just one of a number of young men
and women from New Zealand to a doer and really
cool things in the game of basketball. I'm sure you
keep an eye on what's happening back here. We had
seventeen year old Jackson Ball drop forty in a national
basketball a game the other day. You know, and it's
just one example. You know, do you feel as though
it's a sport that is in really good heart as

(02:03:22):
far as the best New Zealanders playing it are concerned?

Speaker 20 (02:03:27):
One hundred percent?

Speaker 6 (02:03:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 20 (02:03:28):
I think you know, like you mentioned, we've got a
lot of good young guys coming up. I know they
did really well. I was watching the games at the
Under seventeen World Cup where they think I came third, right, yep,
well they placed really well. So now we got some
we got some dogs coming up, and I'm glad I
in a way, I get to set the standards for them,

(02:03:48):
and you know, hopefully.

Speaker 2 (02:03:49):
They can follow you certainly do mate. Well, it's a
it's an exciting time for you. A great season so
far and as you say, new and more to come,
all the best in your quest to get to March Madness. Mate.
Do you do you would have remembered watching March Madness
when you were back here, wouldn't you?

Speaker 20 (02:04:03):
Oh? No, I used to watch it as a kid.

Speaker 14 (02:04:05):
Man.

Speaker 20 (02:04:05):
I think every everyone who enjoys basketball would have watched
March Madness. So now hopefully I can get on there
and you know, put on the show.

Speaker 2 (02:04:15):
I hope you can make it. We'll be cheering for
you back here.

Speaker 7 (02:04:17):
Neil.

Speaker 2 (02:04:17):
We thanks so much for taking the time for a
chat today.

Speaker 20 (02:04:20):
No, I appreciate you having me on, brother, appreciate us
so much. Thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (02:04:23):
No, thank you anew Tate Jones there out of UC
San Diego head it. We hope for March Madness eight
to three News Talks, heb.

Speaker 1 (02:04:33):
Let's scoop from the track, Fields and the Court on
your home of Sord. Weekend Sport with Jason Vine News Talks, NB.

Speaker 2 (02:04:41):
Four and a half to three. That's us. We're back tomorrow,
though with much more on the grom Prix. We'll also
cover off what happens in Super Rugby in the next
little while and Craig Perks from Sawgrass TPC the scene
of his winning the Players Championship in two thousand and two.
Bit of a wander down memory Lane with Craig Perks tomorrow.
Thanks for listening in huge thanks to any McDonald four
pulling the show together. What are we going out with today?

Speaker 11 (02:05:03):
Mates?

Speaker 21 (02:05:03):
Well, Piney this week I actually went to Aliminop and
I call up with Scotty Pearce and the drummer. As
it turns out, he listens to the show so so fantastic.
There are there playing at home ground today, I believe
as well. So I'm leading us out with Verona by
alimin Op. I can hear them from here, actually down
on Wellington's water far.

Speaker 2 (02:05:21):
It's so jealous. I've seen them once this week. It's
not enough. We'll see you guys tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (02:05:59):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk said B weekends from midday or of
the podcast on iHeartRadio.

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