The Press Box - Episode 20
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.
Transcript
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.
12:12 (dramatic music)
12:15 (dramatic music)
12:18 (dramatic music)
12:21 (dramatic music)
12:24 (dramatic music)
12:26 (dramatic music)
12:29 (dramatic music)
12:32 (dramatic music)
12:35 (dramatic music)
12:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]