00:00Welcome one and all to another episode of the Pressbox, episode 76 for you guys today.
00:12My name is Ben Hand, joined once again by Josh Partridge.
00:15We've got a very football heavy episode because naturally it is the second last Wednesday
00:20of November.
00:21That's when all the football is happening.
00:24But first of all, we'll go to everyone's favourite segment, Numerology.
00:34So Josh, I've actually got a bit of a soccer theme, maybe just break it up, get it off
00:38footy because it's going to be very strong with footy.
00:41Returning Tasmanian soccer player, Nathaniel Atkinson obviously had that great stint at
00:46Hearts in Middle Lothian, playing in the most recent World Cup where he played up against
00:51Kylian Mbappe.
00:54When he returned to Melbourne City, he played 75 games going into this season.
01:01So his debut return was the 76th game he has played for Melbourne City during his time.
01:08So the Riverside Olympic product really helping me out there.
01:12One of your better ones, well done.
01:13Thank you very much.
01:14But we do actually have a really big episode.
01:17A lot of stuff's happened in Tasmanian football in the last week, in the last seven days,
01:23even the last two weeks.
01:25Obviously off the back of Scott Starr's signing of their coach, we've got Deloraine a bit
01:29more on that later.
01:30But we'll first move over to UCAS Stadium where AFL have announced their full fixture,
01:37which means the four Launceston AFL fixtures.
01:40And my God, Josh, it's a pretty unprecedented one.
01:43Yeah, a bit going on.
01:45We have a Saturday night game, which is the first night game since 2018 where the Hawks
01:49played the Saints.
01:50But then later down the track, there's a Friday night game, which is unprecedented.
01:53As you said, it's never happened here in Lonnie before.
01:57So it's a massive fixture for not just Launceston, but Tasmania in general.
02:02Yeah, I think that Saturday night game is going to be a really good one.
02:05It's March 29th, so round three against the Giants.
02:07Two really exciting teams, the Hawks and the Giants, played a cracking game here just this
02:12year.
02:13And then that Friday night game is going to be an interesting one because I think, obviously
02:17it's going to be really awesome to see just a new time slot here in Launceston.
02:20It's prime time AFL to come here.
02:23It's pretty remarkable.
02:24But it is going to be in the middle of winter, so it's going to be interesting to see whether
02:28people really turn out for a game in the middle of June or even July.
02:33And it's interesting as well, it's against Adelaide.
02:36Adelaide could be anything by the time Round 14 comes around.
02:39Obviously, coming into last season, or this season, sorry, they were touted to be finals
02:44chances and then it didn't end up going their way.
02:47By the time Round 14 comes around, they could be another Hawthorne.
02:50So it could be a really interesting clash that one.
02:52That's it.
02:53They've got a really exciting list as well.
02:54And they've obviously got North Melbourne, the one Victorian team at Port Adelaide.
02:58And the way that that rivalry is blossoming, that should be a really great game as well.
03:02They've had some absolute rippers in the men's and women's games this year.
03:06So hopefully that can continue.
03:08I did write a story today about how a myth has been dispelled about there was a well-held
03:15belief, I think, among many people in Launceston that two Victorian teams have to play down
03:20here every year.
03:21And maybe the way they got around it in the past had been Brisbane's connection to Fitzroy
03:25or maybe Sydney's connection to South Melbourne.
03:28But as it turns out, there's actually, at least in the current agreement, no obligation
03:31to.
03:32There's a minimum of two games to be played against a Victorian, New South Wales or Queensland
03:37team.
03:38So we just cleared that one up for you.
03:39But I want to ask you about quickly the Devils.
03:42How much of what's to come next year is massive for them in terms of maybe getting an understanding
03:48of what to do and what not to do for night games in Launceston?
03:52Yeah, absolutely.
03:53I suppose when the Devils debut, Launceston's going to be the main ground.
03:58Obviously the new Hobart Stadium isn't going to be built yet.
04:01So these are a crash test run several years out.
04:04So yeah, as you said, it's going to be really interesting to see, to show people what to
04:09do and what not to do in a night game in Tasmania because it's going to be cold.
04:13Like the simple fact is it is going to be cold, but I think, and I'd hope as football
04:18fans in Tasmania, we're a little bit more switched on than, oh, it's going to be cold.
04:23So, but who knows?
04:25Who knows?
04:26That's exactly it.
04:27And, you know, I do want to ask you quickly about attendances as well, but I suppose we'll
04:33introduce that question with everyone's, you know, I suppose the landmark segment of
04:38what's now, you know, the most popular show in Tasmanian television.
04:42And that is Haney's Hard Hitters.
04:51I haven't built this one up at all.
04:53I suppose, Josh, the question, the hard hitting question for this week is, will 2025 be the
04:59most well attended four game, so the accumulated crowd across four games in the four Hawks
05:06games era?
05:07Yes.
05:08What else is there to do on a Friday night here in Launceston?
05:12It sounds incredibly brutal, but you're either going to go to the pub and watch the footy
05:17if it's not in Launceston, or there's a game in Launceston.
05:20Let's go to the, let's go to the game and watch the footy.
05:23Like, I think that game in particular and the Saturday night one as well are really
05:27going to boost the crowd figures.
05:29I think, as you said, we were talking before, it was 50,000 over the course of the four
05:34games this year, so you need basically 12 and a half every game to crack that next year.
05:40And I think with those two night games, I think that should be happening, especially
05:44with GWS as well.
05:45They're a really good opponent and it's going to be a great game of football, as you
05:49said.
05:50So I would hope so, yes.
05:51So I do agree on that front that it actually, you know, Launceston's biggest audience is
05:56Launceston playing footy themselves or at their local footy teams when historic games
06:01have been played here, because it's been on Saturday afternoon.
06:03So it actually opens up a massive market of people who can't normally come, who now
06:08can.
06:09And you're right, there's genuine potential for 15,000.
06:12The only thing I'll say against it is between GWS, North Melbourne, Adelaide and Port Adelaide,
06:19you won't get too many away supporters at all.
06:22And I do think that it is going to be really cold in that Friday night game.
06:27And as much as there's a novelty to it, I think people will want to go for the novelty
06:32of it.
06:33I wonder if that will detract, if it's particularly wet and cold Friday night, where that would
06:37detract people from coming.
06:38But that will be seen.
06:39This time in 52 episodes, Ben, we can sit here and see whether who's right or not.
06:44Well, there you go.
06:45That's something to look forward to.
06:48There was another event at UTAS Stadium just on Thursday.
06:51The unofficial launch, I suppose, of the MTFA Premier League.
06:55All six clubs together in a public space for the first time.
06:58As well as a good photo event.
07:00It was good to see six really optimistic clubs against what has been a fairly controversial
07:07at times competition.
07:08But Josh, probably news I think that all of Northern Tasmania wanted to see, just for
07:14the sake of the football club, Deloraine announcing their head coach, senior coach for 2025.
07:20Take me through who he is and I suppose why this is such big news.
07:23Yep.
07:24They unveiled Nick Milbourne.
07:25What was it?
07:26It was Sunday night as their coach on the social media stream.
07:30So he's a very experienced footballer on the northwest coast.
07:33He's played for Forth, East Devonport, Devonport.
07:36And he spent a year up here for Bridge North.
07:37And I think that's the most important part of it all almost.
07:40That he knows the MTFA landscape.
07:42He kicked 50 goals that season and Bridge North made the grand final.
07:45So even if he's not playing for Deloraine, which they're not quite sure whether he's
07:50going to do yet.
07:51But it's going to be really interesting to see how he translates I guess his coastal
07:57footy knowledge into our sphere I suppose.
08:00He's going to be able to bring a fair few recruits with him I'd imagine.
08:03Obviously it's very late now, being in late November.
08:06But if there's some blokes that aren't quite sure what they're doing next year.
08:09He's a really influential figure that I might follow him to Deloraine and see how
08:14they go.
08:15And that's exactly what they need.
08:17We will have to quickly move on obviously.
08:19Deloraine, great news out there in the west.
08:22But there is more breaking news I suppose.
08:25Coming out of the south part of the state.
08:28A very late switch that I don't think many people saw coming.
08:32Rosny Park looked the clear favourite to house Tasmania Devils High Performance Centre.
08:38It has been announced, it was leaked yesterday, or I should say Monday.
08:43And it's been announced officially on today, so Tuesday, that Kingborough will actually
08:48house the High Performance Centre for the Devils.
08:51Gerry Ockliffe confirmed it, Nick Guygan confirmed it, and the Tasmania Devils have now confirmed
08:56it as well.
08:57Look, I think most people who want to see the Devils do well are just happy this is
09:02getting underway, getting started.
09:04Sounds like it's been a pretty arduous and pretty unclear process, which is pretty
09:08disappointing, but I suppose this is just another box ticked for the Devils in becoming
09:13a clump.
09:14It's going to be brilliant, and what it will do for the city of Kingborough, Kingston,
09:18whatever you want to call it, it's going to be massive for that whole municipality.
09:23Yeah, exactly.
09:24It is a bit out of the way, isn't it, compared to Rosny, but I think, I know you've got
09:27the Jackjumpers out there, and the Devils out there are soon to be out there.
09:31It's going to be, as you said, really massive for that council.
09:34A thing, oh, sorry, no, it's not what we had time for.
09:38Oh, I cannot believe I nearly forgot.
09:40And with such momentum, it would have been, I would have heard uproar had we not had this
09:45segment come to fruition.
09:46It is Josh's Local Hero of the Week.
09:50Well, my hero for this week comes out of the Cricket North second grade competition, and
10:02it goes to Mowbray's Duncan Hill.
10:04Their captain, he took 7 for 13 on the weekend, which is, as you said before, a lot for not
10:11many.
10:12So he bowled, obviously, brilliantly in their game, but massive for Duncan, who's a much
10:18loved character of the Mowbray Cricket Club, so fantastic for him to have done as well
10:23as he did on the weekend.
10:24Yeah, we've got a lot of bowlers getting in this Love Hero of the Week.
10:27I, for one, am all for it.
10:29He might be here soon, mate.
10:31Oh, I don't think so.
10:33I think that's all the time we have for this week.
10:37We'll catch you guys for the next episode.
10:48Bye.
Comments