The Examiner’s Brian Allen and Ben Hann unpack and discuss the sports news across Northern Tasmania.
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00:00 (dramatic music)
00:02 - Hello and welcome to another episode of the Pressbox.
00:10 Episode 50, we've raised the bat half century,
00:13 and what better way to do it than to not have Josh
00:16 or Rob show up, they're here in spirit,
00:18 but not in person anyway.
00:20 Well, Brian and I will manage without them, won't we Brian?
00:23 - Yeah, no, it's great to raise the bat,
00:25 and yeah, who would have thought we'd reach episode 50?
00:29 It's been a lot of fun,
00:30 and yeah, we've covered lots of great topics.
00:32 - Exactly, a lot of fun memories, a lot of fun moments,
00:34 and thanks for being here with us through the whole time.
00:37 Today, we've got another really exciting episode.
00:40 We'll start off though with what happened last weekend.
00:43 That was a bit of a unique day,
00:44 a bit of a unique weekend up in Bridport.
00:46 The club celebrating this AFL weekend,
00:50 they've done it now for about three years,
00:52 and they had the likes of, you know,
00:54 Simon Black, Daniel Rich, Brent Staker, Adam Lambert,
00:59 you know, all these, Adrian Fletcher,
01:02 all these really great names come down for the whole weekend.
01:05 Daniel Rich played in the NTFA game,
01:08 and then that All-Stars game.
01:09 It was a wonderful weekend for the community.
01:11 - Yeah, Ben, I just had a look at your story,
01:13 and yeah, to see that Daniel Rich was a five or six goals,
01:17 he kicked in the actual Division One Saturday match
01:21 against Evendale,
01:22 and then he's backed up with a goal from beyond 50
01:26 in the first quarter in the All-Stars game on the Sunday.
01:30 Yeah, you were there in the flesh.
01:35 Did you get to see him kick that goal?
01:37 - Yeah, yeah, it was a wonderful weekend.
01:39 So like, Daniel actually ended up hurting his hamstring,
01:44 so he had to sort of rest up forwards afterwards.
01:47 Look, it was just a really, I think more importantly,
01:52 a really fun moment for the community.
01:53 You could see the whole community got around it.
01:55 All of Bridport were there, just having fun, really.
01:59 You know, there was 10 auctioned off Guernseys.
02:02 The money all went to the club.
02:04 So the 10 people got to play in the ground
02:06 with these sort of ex-AFL stars and stuff like that.
02:09 You're probably seeing some overlay footage of it right now.
02:12 It was just a really sort of fun social occasion.
02:14 And I think Brent Staker actually summed it up best
02:18 after the game and sort of speaking about
02:20 why these sorts of days are so important.
02:22 - I'm not exactly sure how many, I suppose,
02:24 community clubs do a night like we did
02:26 because there was really good money raised
02:28 for auctioning off the Guernseys, some other auction items,
02:31 to go to the Gabba for one of the corporate boxes.
02:34 So it all goes back to the community.
02:36 It makes the club a better place.
02:37 So that's the outcome.
02:38 That's the reason we're doing it.
02:39 And we all love coming down here, believe it or not.
02:41 It's been an annual thing now almost for three years.
02:43 We miss one year, but it's been great.
02:45 - It was all capped off with a fella trying to kick a torpedo
02:49 from 70 metres right at the end of the game
02:51 to try and win the game.
02:52 But yeah, it was a wonderful occasion.
02:54 - It's a bit of a thing this year.
02:56 We've had lots of sort of, you know,
02:58 whether they be all-star games or memorial games
03:02 throughout the NTFA.
03:04 - Yeah, I think one thing they're doing really well
03:06 at the moment is representing communities
03:08 and trying to give back to these communities.
03:10 You've got the Pyongyang match.
03:11 You've got all these sort of memorial shields
03:13 and stuff like that.
03:14 And I think that's what community
03:15 and country footy is all about.
03:16 It's not necessarily about the game itself.
03:19 It's about how it ties in everyone
03:21 in the community together.
03:23 And that was just a really good example of it, I thought.
03:25 - Yeah, well, actually, another story that came up this week
03:29 is that Bracknell and Bridge North are gonna play
03:32 a match at Cressy, which has had upgrades
03:35 to its facilities in recent years.
03:37 And yeah, there's certainly some cricket
03:40 that's been played there in recent times,
03:43 but not so much footy.
03:44 So yeah, that'll be June 15.
03:47 And yeah, they're hoping for a big crowd.
03:50 - Yeah, I can't wait.
03:51 I think it's gonna be a great day.
03:53 Yeah, I love footy at sort of new venues
03:55 and stuff like that and giving back to the community.
03:57 Anyway, our next topic of conversation is the NTFA W.
04:01 We're only two rounds in to the competition.
04:04 It's a bit newer.
04:05 We had the gala round the first time out.
04:07 It was a wonderful day.
04:08 This weekend, though,
04:10 there are the story of the two Blues teams brought in.
04:14 We've got Launceston and Old Launcestonians.
04:16 It's gonna be a great game this weekend.
04:17 They are the two hottest clubs in the league
04:20 and for the OLs, thanks to one person.
04:23 - Yeah, yeah, so tell me, mate,
04:25 I've done the preview to the NTFA W Premier Women's
04:29 and yeah, Sophie Rankin has come up
04:33 and I believe she's from up north.
04:36 - Yeah, Townsville, yeah.
04:38 So she, yeah, it was sort of spruced,
04:41 she's gonna be this gun
04:42 and we didn't really know what to expect.
04:44 - Well, having seen what she's produced so far,
04:47 it's fair to say she might be one of the best players
04:49 in the competition for OLs
04:51 as if the Premier Grading Premiers
04:53 needed an extra string to their bow.
04:55 But I think what's really important for them
04:58 is they needed to try and replace Jen Guy
05:01 as much as they could
05:02 and they seem to have a ready-made replacement.
05:04 She's a big body in the midfield, great tanks,
05:07 who can run all day,
05:08 but they won't have it on the platter on the weekend
05:12 'cause we've got the surprise packages
05:14 of the NTFA W season.
05:16 - It's the Lonnie Blues.
05:18 - Yeah, so won two games last season, all year,
05:21 were, you know, struggled to be competitive in some weeks,
05:24 so they had a lot of list turnover.
05:26 It looks like having that year of development
05:27 has just been amazing for them.
05:30 They've brought back a few Premiership stars.
05:32 They've beaten South
05:33 and then a cracking Friday night win
05:35 against OL Scotch at the NTCA ground.
05:38 I love to say it
05:39 because they had such a tough year last year
05:41 and it looks like there's a lot more enjoyment,
05:44 a lot more fun going about the Lady Blues at the moment.
05:47 And so, yeah, the Blues derbies,
05:49 we're gonna have to watch.
05:49 - The Blues beat the Blues.
05:51 - Exactly right.
05:52 Switching gears slightly,
05:54 we've got TSL as well, obviously,
05:57 coming up this weekend as well.
05:58 You've been talking to a player from North Lonnie.
06:01 - Yeah, oh, sorry,
06:02 I've been talking to the coach, Adrian Smith.
06:04 Yeah, you're right,
06:04 who's really talked up,
06:06 Blades Soulsburger.
06:08 He's a midfielder
06:09 and he's, yeah,
06:11 taken on the assistant coaching duties
06:14 of their midfield group specifically.
06:17 Yeah, a guy in his early 20s
06:19 has been at North Launceston several years
06:21 and yeah, we're really trying to,
06:24 I guess, focus on player profiles
06:27 and people this year in our coverage.
06:30 And we have covered a few of the North Lonnie
06:32 and Lonnie Blues players throughout.
06:37 Yeah, just while we're there,
06:39 I spoke to an NTFA Premier Georgetown footballer,
06:44 James Halls, this week.
06:45 And he's actually a soccer player,
06:47 a senior soccer player that's gone
06:49 to play senior NTFA footy.
06:51 And James is, yeah,
06:54 a guy that played for Launceston City Soccer Club last year
06:57 in the National Premier Leagues.
06:59 And he's now a midfielder
07:02 that has appeared in Georgetown's Best
07:04 three out of four times.
07:07 And yeah, him and I were just reflecting
07:09 on the idea that it's probably fair enough
07:14 if you switch codes,
07:17 say you switch to high level soccer
07:18 and you go and play like two's footy
07:20 and you sort of do it more for fun.
07:23 But he's playing, as a 20 year old,
07:25 he's playing competitive,
07:28 at a very competitive level in both sports.
07:31 So yeah, it's just one of those things
07:34 that I thought, oh yeah,
07:35 we could have a bit of a think
07:37 about some of the code hoppers over the years.
07:39 And you were able to reel off some straight away.
07:42 - Well, yeah, obviously the whole basketball background
07:44 with Scott Pendlebury and then sort of the trade
07:46 you do with Patti Mills comes to mind.
07:48 Then you got some women examples,
07:50 Ash Barty played, obviously,
07:52 a Grand Slam winner in tennis
07:53 and obviously played for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash.
07:56 And then you have Elise Perry,
07:57 who I think is probably the best one of all of them,
07:59 played for Australia in the FIFA World Cup,
08:04 Women's FIFA World Cup,
08:05 and then became probably just about the best
08:08 women's cricketer to have ever played the game.
08:10 So there's a few examples there.
08:12 So who are some that you come to mind?
08:14 - Well, I thought of Carmichael Hunt
08:16 with the Gold Coast, obviously,
08:19 and Izzy Fullour at GWS.
08:21 They obviously came from rugby.
08:23 Then of course, James actually said that
08:28 this was his inspiration,
08:29 but Alex Carey, the former GWS player
08:34 that is obviously now Australia's test wicketkeeper.
08:38 So yeah, it's actually something that always appealed to me
08:43 growing up playing sport.
08:44 I always loved the idea of,
08:46 oh, I want to try and be good at a couple of sports.
08:49 And ultimately, I think all these conversations
08:52 end up being like you've got to choose
08:54 something eventually to specialize in
08:56 rather than being a jack of all trades.
08:58 But yeah, I've always loved thinking about that.
09:02 - Yeah, it's refreshing to say as well,
09:03 'cause I think sometimes if you grow up
09:05 playing a particular sport
09:06 and you've always wanted to try this other sport,
09:08 you just never really found the time.
09:09 It's proof that you can actually make that switch
09:12 and not have to start from square one.
09:14 Often some sports are often more length than you realize.
09:17 And you're not trapped to do a single sport.
09:20 You can try all these other things.
09:22 And James really proving that point,
09:25 just because he was a great player for Launceston City
09:28 at an NPL level,
09:30 it doesn't mean he can't then do at a similar level
09:33 in footy.
09:34 I think it's a really marvelous achievement.
09:36 - Yeah, and just while we're there,
09:37 we should mention that a lot of the AFLW players,
09:41 ones that have played multiple sports.
09:45 Kat Phillips is one of the best
09:49 ultimate frisbee players in Australia.
09:51 And she's now with Essendon in the AFLW.
09:55 And I think you were a field as well.
09:57 - Yeah, from my hometown, Karen Peterson,
09:59 formerly Karen Harrington was Carlton's AFLW captain.
10:03 She was a former WNBL player.
10:06 There's so many examples in the,
10:08 I think Aaron Phillips is a multi-code sports player as well.
10:11 So yeah, there's so many examples within the AFLW,
10:14 shows you how versatile they are.
10:16 - Yeah.
10:17 - Well, I reckon that's all the time we have this week.
10:19 I really appreciate you guys joining us
10:22 for all 50 episodes of the Fresh Box.
10:24 It's been a hell of an experience.
10:26 Here's for the next 50.
10:27 Thank you, see you next week.
10:29 (upbeat music)
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