The Examiner’s Rob Shaw and Ben Hann unpack and discuss the sports news across Northern Tasmania.
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00:07 Welcome to episode 23 of the Pressbox, the Examiner's weekly sportscast.
00:11 There's only a two-man operation this week, both Brian Allen and
00:14 Josh Partridge unavailable.
00:16 Paul Pardo's had an unfortunate visit to the dentist.
00:19 But it's just myself and Ben this week to look back on the state
00:23 league grand finals.
00:24 There were three games played down south, including the under 18s, but
00:28 the development league and the state league grand final.
00:31 Ben, you were there for both.
00:32 So North Hobart defeated North Lonnie in the development league, and
00:36 then Kingborough defeated North Lonnie in the TSL.
00:38 How did you find the day?
00:39 >> Yeah, unfortunate day for the bombers, wasn't it?
00:41 It was my first time in Hobart, so there's that.
00:43 It was a nice, fun day.
00:48 Weather was really good, which probably helped the day as well.
00:51 5,109 people turned out at North Hobart Oval for two really close games.
00:58 I'll start with the D league.
01:00 So North Hobart got off to a bit of a fast start.
01:04 I think they kicked the first three goals of the contest.
01:07 In fact, they kept goalless in the first quarter.
01:13 And speaking after the match, Hayden Goss, the coach,
01:17 said that's really, we were just sort of chasing tail the whole day.
01:21 Like they kept edging closer to within two goals, or one goal, but
01:25 they were just always behind.
01:26 They could never quite get on level terms.
01:28 And really that in a grand final makes it really tough to always be behind.
01:33 I think that's what cost them there.
01:35 I think we probably would have got a touch on it.
01:39 There was an unfortunate moment late in that game,
01:43 where just before the siren went, I think maybe frustration got the better of
01:47 North Launceston, and some fighting broke out.
01:51 Now, as you can probably see in this vision,
01:54 North Launceston's Jasper French appears to hit North Hobart's
01:59 Lockie Payne, who goes down.
02:01 Hugh Williams, who actually won best on ground that day,
02:04 actually had a really good game besides this, retaliated and
02:08 did the same to French, who also went down.
02:11 I believe both players were knocked out.
02:14 It was really just an unfortunate way to end the game.
02:17 You almost feel bad for both teams.
02:22 North Hobart don't get to celebrate their grand final win properly,
02:25 and North Launceston probably will walk off now,
02:28 having played a really good game,
02:31 tarnishing their performance a little bit, I think,
02:34 just the way it ended, to be honest.
02:36 And moving on to the main game.
02:37 So obviously, a very busy day for you guys down south.
02:41 You were down there with Josh, and that's Kingborough celebrating their
02:44 victory on the back page of the Examiner on Sunday.
02:48 So talk us through the main game.
02:50 Was it a fair result, you think?
02:52 Yeah, I think so.
02:54 Look, I'll be honest, I think it was the second quarter that decided this match.
03:00 North Launceston either won, I think they lost the third quarter by a point,
03:04 but it was effectively even.
03:05 They won the other two quarters, but the second quarter was four goals to zero.
03:09 So I'll just touch on a few things.
03:14 First of all, that second quarter, I think North Launceston did it to
03:19 themselves a little bit.
03:21 They've got a really youthful side.
03:22 Obviously, last year was that transition year with all these kids brought through.
03:28 I think this team is set up really well for the future, but I think that day,
03:33 there was just a few clumsy mistakes and free kicks given away from being a bit
03:37 overaggressive, maybe being a bit sort of just trying to act a bit tough or whatever,
03:42 whatever was going through, but they conceded some really poor goals as a result.
03:47 Obviously, Kieran Lovell, who got best on ground, kicked three goals for the day.
03:52 All of them were just...
03:54 You just watch it and it's just that class above sort of weaving around opponents,
04:00 always knowing where to go with your next move and always knowing where the sticks are.
04:04 And if you're not necessarily facing them, he was really good.
04:07 - Sam Siggins got all the individual awards this year.
04:09 How close is Kieran Lovell to Siggins, do you think?
04:12 - Well, I think the difference between them this year was Lovell had a fair few injuries
04:16 this year, so probably hasn't been able to get on the park as often as Sam has been.
04:19 I think Sam is the best player in the competition.
04:22 I don't think that's up for debate, but I think Kieran Lovell's best, I mean,
04:27 he's a former AFL player like Siggins, so he's at best, he's absolutely right up there
04:33 with everyone else's.
04:34 And he played a forward role.
04:36 He's usually a midfielder, but he played up forward on the weekend just because he
04:40 was coming back from, I think it was a hamstring injury that he suffered only two
04:44 weeks ago against Norfolk, you know, in the qualifying final.
04:49 So, yeah, no, he's a seriously good player.
04:54 For North Launceston, it's no surprise, Brad Cox Goodyear was the bomber's best.
05:00 He was...the phrase "gallant and defeat" was made for Brad Cox Goodyear's performance.
05:06 Kicked three goals, could have had heaps more, some of them not really his own fault.
05:12 Like, just every time North needed something, it was always him.
05:17 It was always him breaking through a stoppage, kicking a goal out of nothing.
05:21 He really...he lost no friends in that performance.
05:26 - I was watching the game on the live stream and I noticed there was a free kick
05:29 given early doors and the player that was tackled couldn't take it and Coxie just
05:36 happened to be standing right nearby to make sure that the ball was in his hands.
05:40 - Yeah, yeah, I'll touch on that.
05:41 That was actually in the first quarter.
05:42 It was actually...they actually led by 12 points in that first quarter.
05:45 It was thanks to that moment where it was...yeah, a great tackle.
05:50 It was a blood rule though that meant that...I can't quite remember off the top of my head
05:54 who led the tackle, but they couldn't take the kick because of, as you mentioned,
05:58 a blood rule and he was just sort of standing there with his arms crossed.
06:03 - Waiting for it.
06:03 - Yeah, and then the umpire wouldn't give him the ball because of the blood rule
06:06 and he was sort of asking for it and stuff like that.
06:09 But I suppose that's just what the good players do.
06:11 - Experience.
06:12 Yeah, that's right.
06:13 So how was the whole day?
06:14 So North Hobart Oval hosted it.
06:16 Obviously, previous Grand Finals have been held at Belle Reeve in the past,
06:19 but how was North Hobart Oval and what did you think of the day?
06:22 - Yeah, so it was interesting.
06:24 At the start of the week, North Hobart Oval was not in very good condition.
06:31 They did a remarkable job of getting the ground up for the day,
06:35 hosting as many games as they did and held up really well, I thought.
06:40 Yeah, it was curious because obviously it's not the top team's home ground.
06:45 So it was definitely a Hobart advantage.
06:48 Kingborough certainly brought plenty of numbers, but so did North Launceston.
06:53 I thought the footy was of a decent standard.
06:56 Probably, you know, it wasn't very high scoring, which probably, you know,
07:01 it is what it is, I suppose.
07:02 But yeah, it was a good day to be a part of, for sure.
07:06 I haven't really had much experience with TSL before that.
07:08 So I think, you know, these players are clearly really, really good players.
07:12 In another world, they might have even been outfield players,
07:14 something like that.
07:15 That's how close they are.
07:16 - Yeah.
07:16 Your first visit to Hobart, North Hobart Oval's got a huge history behind it.
07:21 How did it...did it feel like a, you know, like a historic old ground?
07:25 - Oh, absolutely.
07:26 You got that little stand on the outer wing.
07:28 That's a really cool stand.
07:29 I'm actually a really big fan of that with the change rooms underneath and,
07:32 you know, the railing that you stand up on over on the far pocket with the old
07:37 stand next to it.
07:38 Yeah, it's a lovely mixture of sort of, you know, the big media stand and then
07:43 you got all the old stands as well.
07:44 It's a lovely little ground, absolutely.
07:46 - And North obviously lost both games.
07:48 What consolation do you think they can take out of not just Saturday,
07:51 but the whole season?
07:52 - I think North's biggest consolation is that Kingborough were the best team this
07:56 year.
07:57 So it wasn't a case of they failed to deliver on the weekend.
08:01 Kingborough had beaten Launceston four out of five occasions through this year.
08:06 And they had just been amazing.
08:11 It was, you know, getting two teams to the grand final is an amazing achievement and
08:17 it really shows you from where they were last year to be able to develop what they
08:20 have again this year.
08:21 And there's no signs of them slowing down next year.
08:24 I think that's a really positive sign.
08:25 It would have been nice, obviously, to come away with some silverware,
08:28 but I don't think they should be too disheartened.
08:30 - And you mentioned next year.
08:31 So obviously we've got big changes coming ahead.
08:33 So next year's the last year, as we know it, of the State League.
08:37 And then the year after that, the State League ceases to exist.
08:40 What do you think the future holds in store, not just for North,
08:43 but for footy across the state?
08:44 - Well, I spoke to our resident TSL expert, Josh Partridge,
08:49 about this over the weekend.
08:51 There's definitely an air of a lot of teams are going to bring in some pretty big
08:55 names and everyone's just going to...
08:58 All the best players are going to give it one last crack while they can,
09:00 effectively, before it's gone.
09:03 We've already had former Brisbane Lions player Josh Green sign up for Clarence.
09:08 Andrew Phillips, who currently plays for Essendon, has stated publicly that he wants
09:11 to go back to the TSL and play in Tasmania.
09:14 I can see many more besides in the local comps coming and playing that last year,
09:19 because they won't have the option beyond next year.
09:21 So I think it really has the recipe for a really exciting year.
09:25 What happens beyond that is very much a question mark for the Northern teams.
09:30 But at least for next year, this could be a bit of a greatest hits version
09:34 of the TSL, for sure.
09:36 - It's a positive way to look at it.
09:38 Obviously, the state league grand final wasn't the only footy played over the
09:41 weekend.
09:41 I covered the AFLW game at York Park here.
09:46 North Melbourne, previously undefeated in Tasmania, they lost.
09:49 It was a thrilling finish, actually, against Brisbane Lions.
09:52 A bit of a bogey team for North Melbourne, Brisbane.
09:56 And sure enough, they got the win here by just two points.
09:58 It was interesting covering an AFLW game here.
10:02 I thought the contest was enjoyable.
10:06 There was hardly anyone there to see it.
10:08 I don't think it did them any favours having the game in the same weekend as the
10:12 state league grand finals and also everyone's talking about the AFL prelims.
10:18 So it was a bit of a disappointing game, but I enjoyed...
10:21 You've covered a lot of AFLW.
10:23 How do you see it?
10:25 - Yeah.
10:26 I think it was a victim.
10:28 You're right, of bigger and better sporting events.
10:31 That sounds harsh, but I think that's a fact for Tasmanians.
10:34 It was in the back of the mind.
10:38 Yeah, and I think it probably hasn't been marketed massively well so far this year,
10:45 AFLW, which is also a bit disappointing.
10:47 It'll come along in the future.
10:50 I think when the Tasmanian team does come down here, it will keep developing.
10:54 You know, there was a Tasmanian player on the field, Mia King, on the ground,
10:57 and there was obviously some support for her there.
10:59 - There was.
11:00 The other interesting angle was I interviewed both the coaches afterwards,
11:03 and both of them said, "Oh, we don't usually have journalists at our press calls."
11:08 So clearly they're used to just being interviewed by the club media guy.
11:12 And they both came over and shook my hand and asked who I was,
11:16 and it was obviously a novelty for them to see a journalist at a press call.
11:19 So clearly it doesn't get anywhere near the sort of coverage that the AFL enjoys.
11:23 - Yeah. Hopefully that changes going forwards.
11:26 But yeah, that was slightly predictable, I think.
11:29 - Yeah. And on the subject of the AFL, quite a big game coming up this weekend.
11:32 So we've obviously got Collingwood against Brisbane,
11:36 and there's some strong Tasmanian angles to the game.
11:39 Chris Fagan, obviously the Lions coach, he's Tasmanian fluent,
11:42 so I'm putting together a piece about him now and all his assorted Tasmanian angles,
11:48 and both Majercek and Howe playing for Collingwood.
11:50 How do you see Saturday's game going?
11:54 - I think... Gee, it's tough.
11:56 Brisbane have beaten Collingwood both times.
11:58 Brisbane have beaten Collingwood the last four times they've played them, Rob.
12:01 But this season, you know, one of them was at the Gabba, not playing at the Gabba,
12:06 one of them was at Etihad Stadium or Marvel Stadium.
12:08 They're not playing it. - MCG, it's a bit different.
12:10 - Playing the MCG.
12:11 And Brisbane have never had the greatest record at the MCG.
12:14 They lost to Hawthorne, if I remember down there, this year.
12:17 They might have won a game there, but I can't think of it off the top of my head.
12:21 And I just can remember a lot of times where they've lost games.
12:24 They probably shouldn't have at the MCG.
12:28 I think Collingwood will win this, even if it's just for the sheer support
12:32 that we'll get in Melbourne all throughout the week and on the day.
12:35 Brisbane fans will certainly count on their numbers,
12:37 but you can't beat Collingwood in Melbourne for support.
12:40 So... - It's not just in Melbourne.
12:43 It's a lot of Collingwood supporters coming out of the woodwork.
12:45 - Oh, absolutely.
12:47 Yeah, I just think they've just got so much weight and momentum behind them.
12:52 They've got a lot of players returning from injury.
12:54 They look like they're pretty good.
12:55 They've survived the GWS.
12:57 That's a better win, I think, than we're giving them credit for.
13:00 Yeah, that's my tip.
13:02 I reckon, I think we're neutral, obviously, Rob,
13:05 but I'm probably going for Brisbane.
13:08 But yeah, I think Collingwood will win.
13:10 - Yeah, I think they've got more chance than your West Coast.
13:13 - More chance than West Coast.
13:14 I think Sandringham Dragons, who won on the weekend,
13:18 have more chance than West Coast of winning an AFL grand final.
13:21 - There you have it there, the tip for the grand final.
13:24 Thanks for tuning in and see you all next week.
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