The Press Box - Episode 15
The Examiner’s Rob Shaw, Brian Allen, Josh Partridge and Ben Hann unpack and discuss the sports news across Northern Tasmania.
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00:00 [Music]
00:07 Welcome to another edition of the Press Box, the Examiner's weekly sportscast,
00:11 episode 15, and they said it wouldn't last. We're delighted to welcome back
00:15 Brian Allen from Europe to join us this week and congratulations on your
00:20 engagement in Europe, Brian. Thank you, appreciate that. And so last week Ben told us about
00:25 visiting Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while he was in Europe and in contrast you've
00:29 been to the scene of some sporting excellence and achievement. Yes, in one of
00:32 the most ancient cities of the world in Athens in Greece, I went to the Panathenaic
00:38 Stadium which is the home of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
00:45 It was an amazing experience for any sports fan. Athens obviously has a lot of
00:51 the ruins and the Acropolis and lots of great sights to see but this is my
00:55 favourite because it was very relative, like it was, it's one of these I guess
01:02 things that's, it's got a huge history that dates back to I think the 4th
01:06 century BC, the actual site of the stadium and what's been there in the
01:10 past but the modern version is is very sleek, it's all marble sort of seating
01:17 and there's a big race which is a bit like a gladiator tunnel where the
01:22 athletes would have come out. The track, the athletics track is like a U
01:28 shape, a horseshoe shape and it's much smaller than a normal aths track but
01:34 yeah and then there's a museum with all the, more like the Olympics posters.
01:39 You go in there and you can see the poster from 1896 and you see the Melbourne
01:44 one and the Sydney one. It was just amazing and it was just cool to sort of
01:48 get on the track and run around and get in the stands and it has the
01:52 Olympic rings there as well so yeah, love that.
01:56 So back down to earth this week with some NTFA I think. Yes, yeah, no I love the NTFA but I have to admit guys, like we were in like 35 plus degree heat for three
02:09 weeks straight because there was a heatwave in Europe and we're getting on the plane from
02:15 Melbourne to Tassie and we're still in shorts and that because we're just sort of used to
02:20 being hot all the time and then it was raining, like heavily raining and we kind
02:26 of got soaked before we got on the plane, like that bit where you get from the terminal out to the
02:31 actual plane so yeah, crashed back down to earth. Well on the subject of rain, it kind of
02:37 dominated our weekend that's just gone. I know footy was impacted, well the main
02:42 soccer game that was supposed to be held the last weekend from a northern
02:46 perspective was the Northern Derby at Riverside against Launceston City. That
02:49 game got called off around midday on Friday and it was rather controversially
02:53 so both sides really wanted to still have it played and it was one of those
02:57 scenarios where at the time it was called off the pitch was underwater so
03:00 it was a sensible decision but by the time kickoff came eight hours later the
03:05 pitch looked quite playable but the game didn't go ahead so in the end I went to
03:09 Devonport on Saturday and I saw Devonport win again, phenomenally
03:12 successful side Devonport and they're now closing in on back-to-back doubles
03:17 they are the benchmark side in Tasmanian soccer. Here's a little bit of footage of
03:21 Roberto Garrido scoring one of their goals.
03:25 and speaking of the weather it was a bit cold up at South Launceston I hear
03:44 Ben. Yes, a young town famously warm. No it was it was a very cold day but it was
03:50 a great game of footy which probably helped things. South Launceston and
03:55 Longford obviously drawing 42 all at the end of the day. It was just there was
04:00 just never really an inch given by either side. Perhaps I think both I think
04:07 Longford scored all their goals through South Launceston. Free kicks and South
04:12 Launceston on the other hand like Longford gave away 50 minute penalties that they
04:15 shouldn't have and that's how they got quite a number of their goals as well so
04:19 it was really just whenever one team would let off maybe 5% was the only time
04:24 our team could even get some sort of breathing room but it was a great game
04:27 of footy and a draw was was probably a pretty fair result in the end.
04:32 Talk me through I guess the last couple of minutes was it always evident that it
04:35 was going to be a draw or did it kind of I guess what was there attacking
04:39 forays from either side kind of thing? I wouldn't say that. The last
04:43 quarter going to what you would have thought South were odds on to win. They won the
04:47 third quarter against a really strong wind and going to the last they kicked
04:51 their goal. Yeah about five minutes going to the last quarter so you thought
04:55 probably they might kick away here but no Longford just really made a really
05:01 contested game just didn't didn't sort of allow any sort of free ball movement
05:05 and just sort of kept scrapping their way up the field. The goal itself to
05:10 bring it back level was a slightly controversial one. A mark a diving
05:15 chest mark was paid. I was sitting amongst or standing I should say amongst
05:21 the Longford and Southaunceston fans sort of where the canteen is and one side
05:26 seemed to think it was a definite mark the other side seemed to think perhaps
05:29 they hit the ground a bit too early you can guess which one was which. Anyway a
05:34 50 minute penalty was then given and a goal from the goal square sort of level
05:38 things up. I will say Southauneston after that really looked like they were going to
05:44 win it anyway but Longford really held strong in defense really deep in defense
05:49 took a lot of contested marks down back and I think Southauneston then will
05:53 feel like they should have gone over the line but I think Longford probably said the same earlier on.
05:57 Yeah one thing I just want to pick up on it was Longford's second draw this
06:07 season who won the Premiership last year and then we've picked we've have talked
06:11 about this already this season but there's just consistently like low
06:15 scoring games and the NTFA Premier comp just as someone coming in from Div 1
06:21 for the weekend what did you make of sort of the style of footy and why it
06:26 might be such low scores they're usually under 60. Yeah yeah I remember looking
06:30 into the two teams going to it I think both teams had a combined three games
06:34 where the opposition had scored more than 40 points so you're absolutely right
06:38 there I think this is probably not a truly fair comparison just because it
06:45 was quite a wet windy day which always makes it tough for scoring but the
06:49 midfields of us just so strong and so contested that I think there isn't that
06:53 sort of free-flowing movement out of the center often which means often quite a
06:58 scrappy kick going forwards the forward entry is not nearly as effective and I
07:03 think that probably affects it at least it did on on the day it was just tough to
07:08 get clean uncontested possession all day. And you spoke to one of the coaches at
07:12 the end? Yes I spoke to Longford's coach Mitch Stagg he he going into it said
07:19 that this game was a great opportunity for NTFA to showcase sort of the best it
07:24 has to offer with all the tear-salve noise going on in the background and and
07:29 he he gave his thoughts about how the game played out and maybe a two points
07:34 loss so the two points gained. Either side knows each other inside out so it's
07:39 very hard to get that sort of clear possession and obviously with conditions
07:43 it was just a day where you just needed to take territory and have a little bit
07:47 of luck for your way. Looking in terms of us I thought we controlled the majority
07:55 of the game to be honest with you I spoke about at the breaks just those
07:59 little two or three minute lapses were really really costly for us obviously a
08:05 couple of free kicks a 50 meter penalty and and obviously one off the ball there
08:11 before the bounce that's two goals that ultimately end up in the result that
08:15 we've got. And moving on to the State League what's and this weekend what's
08:19 coming up this weekend Josh? Yeah well there's a really crucial clash in the
08:23 league so Launceston are hosting Clarence at Windsor Park, Lonnie are in fourth
08:27 Clarence are in third and it's going to be really interesting because if Lonnie
08:32 can win they go back into third they've comfortably got a better percentage
08:35 than Clarence which is partly due to last time I played Lonnie beat them by
08:39 79 points so Launceston will come in favourites I guess having beaten them by
08:44 79 points at Windsor Park last time they met but earlier in the year Clarence
08:49 beat them by 30 points at Blunston Arena so it'll be very interesting to see I
08:53 guess how they shape up at Windsor Park once again. And NDFA fellas where are you
08:57 off to? Yeah so Bracknell v Roche Relye at Bracknell and yes it's it's a good
09:03 clash because Bracknell are fifth and we've got three rounds to go and they're
09:08 looking to sort of shore up the fifth spot at least and I think if they do if
09:15 they do sort of secure that in the next couple of weeks like we've got our top
09:18 fives probably set before the well before finals. It's that great time of
09:23 year when finals are coming into focus and all this a lot of sides are sort of
09:27 locking in fourth and fifth positions and working out who they're likely to be
09:31 playing in the finals it's a great time of year. What are you up to this weekend Ben?
09:35 So probably the game of the round is in the NDFA W Premier Division it looks
09:42 like Launceston are just starting to drop back but there's a really hot race for
09:45 both second and third with Old Scotch and on Launcestonians and
09:50 fourth and fifth which is Scottsdale and South. So Scottsdale play South
09:55 Launceston this weekend. Both teams coming off upset wins last weekend so I
10:02 really can't pick a winner between that one I think it's gonna be a great game.
10:04 Good stuff. I've got a busy weekend Saturday afternoon of local soccer.
10:09 Launceston United hosting Devonport at 3.45. Launceston City just up the road
10:14 are hosting Glenorchy at 4.45 and Devonport and Glenorchy are first and
10:18 second on the ladder so the two big guns are coming to town and the two
10:21 liney sides are hosting them. That'll be an interesting afternoon.
10:25 I'll have a good afternoon and we'll all get together Saturday night and
10:27 write it all up. Thanks for tuning in for another edition and please buy a
10:32 copy of the paper and we'll see you next week.
10:37 you
10:40 you
10:42 you
10:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]