The Examiner’s Rob Shaw, Josh Partridge and Ben Hann unpack and discuss the NTFA finals series as well as the upcoming TSL finals and NPL Tasmania awards.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Welcome to episode 20 of the PressBox
00:09 The Examiner's weekly sportscast.
00:11 We've got no Brian Allen this week.
00:12 He seems to think if he's done a lot of work
00:14 over the weekend that he's entitled to some time off.
00:18 We've also got plenty more videos from our photographers
00:21 who have done a great job over the weekend
00:22 capturing all the footy action.
00:24 So they'll be overlaid as we rabbit away.
00:27 We've also reintroducing the moment of the week
00:29 that we, 'cause we're all at different games
00:31 over the weekend and it's nice to reflect
00:33 on moments of the week.
00:34 So Josh, you're gonna kick us off.
00:36 Huge week for the NTFA.
00:38 Talk to us about the premier.
00:39 - Yeah, I've stepped into Bristol's shoes this week
00:41 and going back to my days as the NTFA premier man.
00:44 So Brian was at both of these games.
00:46 So I'm just covering briefly what he had to say about them.
00:50 So the first one was the,
00:52 was basically the match that gets you
00:55 through the grand final.
00:56 I'm forgetting what it's called.
00:56 - Second semifinal, Josh.
00:57 - There we go, thank you very much.
00:59 So that was between Hillwood and South Launceston.
01:02 South Launceston were up by 20 points in the third quarter
01:05 and kind of looked like they could be in with a shot
01:07 but Hillwood surged and they came back
01:09 and turned it around and won by 21 points,
01:11 which is a massive result for the Sharks
01:13 who haven't won, they won their last flag in 2019
01:16 and they've been through a bit since then.
01:17 So it's massive to see them back in the grand final.
01:21 And then the other game was between Roachley and Longford,
01:24 Battle of the Tigers.
01:25 And Roachley started really strong,
01:27 had a really good 10 minutes in the first quarter
01:29 and ended up getting up by 26 points.
01:31 So now Roachley will play South Launceston
01:34 for the right to play Hillwood in the grand final
01:36 in a couple of weeks time.
01:38 - And can you wrap up all the rest of the NTFA event?
01:40 - Yes, yes.
01:41 Well, much like the games out at Bridge North
01:44 and at Hillwood, there was just great to see so many people
01:48 at all the games throughout the weekend.
01:50 A lot of them were neutral venues
01:51 and still people rocked up in their droves.
01:55 I covered a fair bit on the weekend.
01:58 So we started off with Bridge North women
02:01 playing against Old Launcestonians
02:03 and they made it through the grand final,
02:04 I think for the first time in their history.
02:08 So that's a really cool moment for them
02:09 in front of a home crowd
02:11 that was sometimes three or four deep.
02:13 And then we had over at Georgetown,
02:17 we had Meander Valley beating Georgetown
02:21 to get to the Div 1 grand final, played Deloraine
02:23 and St. Pat's recovered from the loss to Old Scotch.
02:26 They beat Lillydale in what was a cracking contest.
02:29 I really enjoyed that match.
02:31 And they will now play Old Scotch again.
02:36 So that means in the reserves and the seniors in Div 1,
02:38 it will be Old Scotch and St. Pat's.
02:40 It could even be the same in the under 18.
02:42 So those two clubs having wonderful years.
02:45 But yeah, it's all coming together
02:48 and it's been really exciting.
02:49 My moment of the weekend,
02:54 would probably be just sort of,
02:57 yeah, just the,
02:58 I feel like I'm quoting the castle here,
03:01 but just the vibe of the thing.
03:03 It was--
03:04 - The photocopier doesn't work.
03:05 (laughing)
03:07 - It was just great.
03:08 Like there was so many people at every game.
03:12 It was such a great, just happy atmosphere.
03:14 People supporting family or friends or whatever the like,
03:17 so many familiar faces and it was,
03:19 yeah, I just couldn't get enough of it.
03:21 It was a wonderful weekend.
03:22 - Yeah, tell him he's screaming.
03:23 (laughing)
03:24 What about you Josh, moving on to the State League?
03:26 - Yeah, so rare enough,
03:28 both games were in Launceston this weekend,
03:31 both games featuring Launceston and North
03:33 and they were at different times.
03:34 So I was actually able to go and watch both,
03:36 which was pretty cool.
03:38 In the first one at one o'clock,
03:39 Launceston beat Glenorchy by 104 points.
03:42 Both, it was actually a really close first quarter,
03:46 but then after that Launceston showed their class
03:48 and Mitch Flaught moved a few magnets around,
03:50 moved Dylan Riley back to half back,
03:52 which he hasn't played for a couple of years
03:53 and it made the Blues just so much stronger.
03:56 It'll be interesting to see how they go this weekend
03:59 against Clarence in their elimination final.
04:01 So they go down to Bellary Loval
04:03 and play down there this weekend.
04:04 - I'd love to have seen Dylan Riley's face
04:06 when Mitch moved that magnet to full back.
04:08 - Actually it wasn't too bad.
04:09 He was receptive to the idea,
04:11 being such a good, classy half back as per usual.
04:14 So he was pretty happy with it, I think.
04:17 And then the three o'clock game,
04:19 North Launceston versus North Hobart,
04:21 similar story, North Hobart started really strong,
04:24 pretty tight, and then North Launceston just kicked away.
04:28 And I guess as a part of that strong start
04:31 was my moment of the week,
04:32 was young North Hobart debutant Jack Miller.
04:36 He got the ball, streamed through the middle
04:39 and kicked a goal from about just inside the forward 50
04:41 and it was just fantastic to see his teammates,
04:44 just they swarmed him.
04:46 To kick that kind of goal on debut
04:47 would have been such an awesome feeling
04:48 and it was really cool to see the reaction
04:51 that everyone got from him.
04:52 - Now the TSO obviously entering finals,
04:55 the player of the year has been decided, Siggins as well.
04:59 But obviously another great year as well for Ben Simpson.
05:01 Just talk about those two players
05:03 and what they've brought to the competition this year.
05:05 - Siggo is just a freak, to put it pretty bluntly.
05:08 So that's Sam Siggins from Waterdale.
05:10 So he was on an AFL list for the Crows a few years back now.
05:14 Had a few things go awry and all that kind of thing
05:18 and kind of came home from that.
05:21 He's a pretty tall unit,
05:23 plays as a mixture of a Ruckman and a midfielder.
05:26 So he's a freak really,
05:27 like that's the simplest way to put it.
05:29 And then Benny Simpson, he works so hard.
05:33 He's a contested beast.
05:34 Like he loves getting in there and getting the ball
05:36 and he's such a classy user of the ball.
05:39 He'd only be 21, 22 years of age,
05:42 still very young with a very bright future,
05:44 especially with this VFL stuff coming in
05:46 over the next couple of years.
05:47 You'd expect him to be a name
05:49 that'd feature on that list.
05:50 And he's been captain of North Lawny
05:53 for a couple of years now,
05:54 even at the young age he is.
05:55 He's a fantastic future prospect that we've got.
05:59 - Excellent, moving on to the Roundball Code
06:01 and the soccer season wraps up this coming weekend.
06:05 The last week has been all about NPL Tasmania derbies.
06:07 The three Launceston sides all played each other
06:10 in the space of eight days, which was quite entertaining.
06:12 I went to all three games and they were very close
06:14 and obviously very keenly fought out.
06:17 Launceston United drew one all with Riverside.
06:20 They got a 97th minute equaliser to get a point in that game
06:23 and that was their first point of the season.
06:25 Riverside then beat Launceton City
06:27 in a Wednesday night game down at Windsor Park.
06:29 And again, a late goal scored by a former Launceton City player
06:31 in Zach Giesig, so that was an entertaining finish.
06:35 But then United hosted City on Saturday
06:38 and the game finished 2-2.
06:39 And my moment of the weekend was the equalising goal
06:41 in the 89th minute.
06:44 So City were leading 2-1.
06:47 United get given a free kick about 20, 25 yards from goal.
06:51 And Connor Redding stood up to take it.
06:54 He's Lonnie United's captain.
06:56 He's 21 years old.
06:57 They have lost every game this season
07:00 until the draw the previous week against Riverside.
07:02 And Connor's been ever present.
07:04 It's a real baptism of fire for a young lad.
07:06 He's done a great job all season.
07:08 He steps up, he takes a free kick and scores it.
07:10 Very cathartic moment for a young lad
07:12 to score a goal like that.
07:14 And he celebrated it and very popular around Birch Avenue
07:18 as well to get that.
07:19 So it's just a great moment to see a young lad like that.
07:21 What's in the water in Launceston
07:23 with these late drama?
07:24 Just every game seems to be going right down to the wire.
07:27 And I think it's specifically in the Derby's
07:29 because unfortunately the three Lonnie sides
07:32 are currently sitting in the bottom three places,
07:34 I think, in the league.
07:35 The strength is Devonport and then the Hobart sides.
07:38 So when they play each other,
07:39 that's their best chance of getting points.
07:42 And so all three of those games were very competitive
07:46 and entertaining games to be at
07:48 and a lot of banter from the sidelines.
07:51 So three good adverts for Tasmanian soccer.
07:54 And I think, so Riverside emerged with a win and a draw,
07:57 but I think United took the moral victory
08:00 in getting two points on the board.
08:02 - Yeah, it was a win.
08:03 - So looking ahead to the weekend.
08:04 So Ben, talk us through the NTFA Grand Finals.
08:07 - Yes, so Division One, it's the week of weeks.
08:11 Three games to be played at Utah's stadium on Saturday,
08:14 starting at 9.30 AM.
08:16 As I mentioned there,
08:16 me and Vali will be playing Deloraine.
08:18 I really am looking forward to that game.
08:21 Both teams only lost once all season
08:22 and that was to each other.
08:23 So they're clearly the best two teams.
08:26 Then we move into the reserves, as I mentioned before.
08:29 So St. Pat's and Old Scotch,
08:31 effectively play a doubleheader on the weekend.
08:33 It's really a testament to the two clubs and how they run.
08:36 The Seniors is gonna be such a great match.
08:40 It's a rematch of last year's Grand Final.
08:42 Old Scotch have just recruited so well.
08:46 They've just got so many good players.
08:48 You look at McKenzie or Seymour,
08:49 they're just in and of themselves.
08:51 Just match winners, so to have two of them on one team
08:54 is something else.
08:55 But I also will say St. Pat's
08:57 are a bloody good opposition as well.
08:59 At their best, players like Jordan Tepper,
09:02 will be hard to stop.
09:03 So it's gonna be a really big day.
09:05 And then Premier, I'll also touch on while Brian's not here.
09:08 I believe the preliminary finals
09:09 between South Launceston and Rochellea.
09:12 And I believe that is at Georgetown.
09:14 So Georgetown get another week of finals
09:17 with their new turf that was just in marvellous condition
09:21 on Saturday and deserves it after the week they put in.
09:25 - It's all happening at Blue Gum Park.
09:27 - Exactly right.
09:28 - Best named ground in Northern Tasmania.
09:31 Josh, what's happening in the State League this weekend?
09:33 - So down South, we've got Kinga versus North Launceston.
09:37 The winner of that goes straight through to the grand final.
09:40 And we've also got Launceston versus Clarence.
09:43 The winner of that plays the loser of the first one
09:45 and the loser of that is gone.
09:46 So the Blues season is on the line this weekend,
09:49 which is pretty big for the three time running premiers.
09:52 Now I figure if we're gonna make Brian do this,
09:54 I'll be better to make Josh do this.
09:56 Who's your tip for the winner of the finals?
09:58 - Who are you putting your house on Josh?
10:00 - Yeah, if North Launceston can win this weekend
10:06 and it gets played at youth,
10:07 if the grand final gets played at Utah Stadium,
10:09 I reckon North Launceston win with a big shot.
10:11 That's where I'll go.
10:12 (laughs)
10:15 And I'll just quickly touch on,
10:17 there's also hockey grand finals this weekend,
10:19 which is something else I also cover.
10:22 Both of those are between Quechee and South Launceston,
10:25 which similar to what you said about the two footy teams,
10:27 it's a testament to how those clubs are run
10:29 and to have both of their teams in the grand final
10:32 for the second year in a row is massive.
10:34 So we've got the women's grand final at one o'clock
10:36 and the men's grand final at three o'clock
10:37 out at St. Leonard's.
10:39 And something else that's also going on out at St. Leonard's
10:41 is they're renaming the ground one out at St. Leonard's.
10:45 They're renaming that after Wally Budgen,
10:46 who passed away earlier this year.
10:48 So that'll be happening just before the women's game,
10:51 but that's fantastic for the Budgen family,
10:53 who are obviously a massive family in Tasmania.
10:55 - Huge fan of the sport of hockey, absolutely right.
10:58 And as I touched on earlier,
10:59 the state league soccer wraps up this weekend.
11:01 All state league games are played in Hobart this weekend,
11:04 and that's because the end of season awards
11:06 are being held down there as well.
11:08 So it means all clubs can get along and attend.
11:10 The NPL, just a few tips as to who might win it.
11:15 I think the NPL is likely to come down
11:17 to three or four candidates.
11:19 Nick Morton is always in the mix.
11:20 He's South Hobart midfielder.
11:22 I think he scored 20 goals this season for midfield.
11:25 That's pretty good.
11:26 Roberto Garrido has set new benchmarks in goal scoring
11:29 in the state league.
11:30 So he's got to be up there.
11:31 I think he's got 27 goals for Devonport.
11:33 I've been quite impressed with Sam Toos at Clarence.
11:35 Every time I see him play,
11:36 he's a short, bleached, blonde-haired player.
11:40 So he's difficult to miss.
11:41 Tough tackling, and I've been impressed with him.
11:44 And Devonport dominated everything.
11:46 And the other Devonport player I'd include
11:48 would be Brodie Dennehy, who always performs well.
11:50 In the women's Super League, again,
11:52 Devonport got a striker who scored 33 goals this season.
11:55 That's nearly twice as many as anyone else.
11:56 That's Jazz White.
11:58 But I think South Hobart have been
11:59 the benchmark side all season.
12:00 So I'd probably have it as one of their midfielders,
12:03 either Lucy Roberts or Pishon Choi.
12:05 They dominate the midfield.
12:07 So we've got all that to come up this weekend.
12:08 Another busy weekend for us.
12:10 Thanks for tuning in this week,
12:11 and see you next week.
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