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00:21Hello and welcome to Offsiders, I'm Abbey Jelmy.
00:24It's been just two and a half years since the Matildas unforgettable World Cup run captivated
00:29Australia and now they have another chance to win a trophy on home soil.
00:33The team's Asian Cup campaign starts tonight in Perth with a new coach at the helm and Sam
00:38Kerr back to lead the side.
00:42I feel like I'm just really lucky to be here again at a major tournament on home soil.
00:47We dream of these occasions in our sport.
00:51Not only is the Asian Cup one of the biggest trophies for us, it's the World Cup qualification.
00:58There's a lot of pride, a lot of pride from my personal perspective to obviously be able
01:04to be part of this special group.
01:08I've had a long journey from my ACL return so I'm just honestly so excited, so grateful
01:15to be back.
01:18There's going to be some special memories made and we're looking forward to an amazing tournament.
01:25Good morning, it's a pleasure to have your company.
01:27It's also a pleasure to have the company of our panel.
01:29I'm joined by Daniel Turney, also Tess Majin and also Ned Hall team.
01:33We are well aware that the US attack on Iran has dominated insiders today and it has implications
01:39for sport as well.
01:40We'll discuss a few of those implications this morning.
01:43The Matildas are due to play Iran on the Gold Coast on Thursday.
01:46So Ned, there must be some doubts about whether or not that match is going to go ahead.
01:50There will be, they're also due to be playing Iran on the Gold Coast tomorrow night as well
01:55against Korea so they've got a game before then.
01:57A couple of players have withdrawn from their squad going into this match.
02:01It's still a bit confused as to anything else that's happening out of that group at the
02:04moment.
02:05There's an internet blackout obviously in Iran as there has been for some time so no idea
02:10whether the players are able to communicate with their families back at home.
02:13And so there's obviously a lot of pressure on the players for obviously what's happening
02:17outside of their control to see if they want to continue playing at this tournament.
02:20We are looking at the draw here.
02:22And Tess, as a player that of course plays for your country and does travel around the
02:26world to different places and expected to be going to Turkey on Thursday, this has implications
02:31for other Australian teams as well.
02:33Yeah, absolutely.
02:34We are meant to go to Istanbul in Turkey which is a fair way away from the Middle East but
02:40it's still scary.
02:41You know, we're flying into Doha, Qatar and obviously have to fly or redirect around to
02:46get to Istanbul.
02:47And you know, my best friend Sammy Wickham is playing in Turkey at the moment.
02:50So there are a lot of Australians playing basketball around the world and I'm really feeling for
02:56those Iran people on that team that are having to, you know, put a ball into a net, kick the
03:02ball into the net as in football.
03:05But thinking of their family at home, like to be able to compartmentalise that is huge
03:09and just wishing them all the best in the tournament.
03:12When things are happening like this on a global scale, what sort of communication do you receive
03:16as a national side about this progress going forward?
03:20Yeah, look, obviously it's way above the players and it's honestly will be above Basketball
03:25Australia, Football Australia as to what goes ahead and just take the best advice from the
03:29government and the powers to be to make the best decisions possible to keep everyone safe.
03:34And that's all you can hope for.
03:36We put our trust into them that no one will ever put us in a place that is unsafe as
03:41you
03:41know, it's so much more important than sport.
03:43And Daniel, they say that sport and politics shouldn't mix when really they're inextricably
03:47linked and with especially the tournament that we're looking at with the Asian Cup, we could
03:52see North Korea even playing South Korea.
03:53Yeah, and the quarterfinals, which would be a remarkable turn of events and obviously there's
03:58no shortage of history on that front.
04:01I mean, we've seen it with the recent T20 World Cup with India and Pakistan, even in cricket,
04:06I noticed that Johnny Bairstow, who will be well known to Australian audiences, reached out
04:09to the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
04:11He's currently in the UAE as all this stuff has been going on in Iran, which has been caught
04:16in the crossfire and he's trying to get home.
04:18So, look, I suppose it's a great reminder of, you know, sports place within the world.
04:23Anytime you've got national teams playing, these sorts of things are subject to happen.
04:29And I guess primarily we just worry and hope for the players' safety, right?
04:33Yeah, absolutely.
04:34And that's the main thing here.
04:35And that is a key issue with the Iranian team, where I think they're concerned about issues
04:39with their family back at home and that their families are all right, but also how they're
04:42treated as well.
04:43You know, issues like not singing the national anthem or not being seemingly in support of
04:47the country are obviously seen as a bit of an err from their players and an error if they
04:53don't sort of back what's happening with the country.
04:55So it's a very difficult situation for them to be in and what should be a joyous occasion
04:59playing in a major international tournament.
05:00You mentioned a major international tournament.
05:02America are hosting the Men's World Cup, of which Iran is going to be a side.
05:05If we zoom out, this has potential implications very much long term.
05:09Yeah, political implications around the world this year in terms of major sporting events
05:12are huge and particularly with America and the way they've cracked down on visas and
05:16people travelling to their country.
05:17Iran are the one nation that really stands out, but there's lots of other nations as well
05:21on the American watch list, I suppose, of nationalities who may struggle to get into
05:26the country.
05:26And it'll be interesting to see how an Iranian national football team would be allowed to
05:30travel to the US to play in a tournament.
05:32It does seem strange to move on and talk about sport and selection now given what's happening
05:36in the world.
05:36But we do have an Asian Cup to talk about.
05:38And for the Matildas, there's been so many concerns with the injury, Mackenzie Arnold certainly
05:42being one of them, the star keeper from the World Cup.
05:45And Joe Montemuro kept his cards very close to his chest when he was questioned about selection
05:49and her fitness going on this week.
05:53Yeah, look, we're monitoring it and we've got it in control with our medical staff and
06:00we'll make some decisions in the next 24 hours.
06:02There's no decisions made yet of anyone playing.
06:04So I'm still deciding on what my starting 11 is going to be.
06:08I mean, we think some players might have been selected by now, Ned.
06:11I can't imagine he's got an entirely blank team list at the moment.
06:14I'm pretty sure he knows most of the players that will be in that side.
06:17But he did dance around the issue of the goalkeeper.
06:19Mackenzie Arnold has not been seen a lot in training this week.
06:22Interestingly, she's coming from the US, playing for Portland Thorns.
06:25That season hasn't kicked off yet, so she's coming from pre-season there.
06:28We lost Teagan Micah from the squad last week with concussion issues.
06:32They called up Chloe Lincoln from the AEW competition, playing for the Brisbane Raw.
06:36And the other goalkeeper in the squad is Jada Wyman, who's been around the squad
06:39for a long time, but has never actually played for the Matildas.
06:42She's still uncapped.
06:43And she's come from Sweden, where they're also on pre-season.
06:45So there's not a lot of experience in behind Mackenzie Arnold if she isn't fully fit.
06:50I don't think she's going to be out for the tournament, but she may all be missing
06:54for a couple of games just from the way they're talking around it at the moment, which would
06:57be an inexperienced goalkeeper to start.
06:58And especially when you're looking at tournaments like this, how often does it come down to penalties
07:02and it's important to have someone with experience under that pressure?
07:04They'll be doing everything they can to get Mackenzie Arnold out there.
07:07And she's got the great moment that they had against France in the quarter-finals in Brisbane
07:11in the World Cup, I think, tucked away in the back pocket to pull on if they do get down
07:16to penalties later in the tournament.
07:17Well, if we are going to talk about injuries, the health of Australia's star players in Sam
07:21Kerr and Mary Fowler have been the major storylines heading into this tournament.
07:24Kerr spoke yesterday and said she's still not 100%.
07:28I feel like I'm probably 85 and above, don't want to say I'm at 100 yet, haven't had one
07:34of those games yet where I felt completely myself, but I think about 85% and above.
07:40Daniel, don't you love athlete chat?
07:42They're like, 85%, I've got some awareness, all of these sort of things.
07:45Ned, how often do you think we're going to see her feature in this tournament?
07:48How many minutes, I guess, is the big question?
07:50Yeah, I think she will start today against the Philippines.
07:54I think she will be leading the line for them.
07:55I think she'll want to be out there on the field leading the side as well.
07:59Obviously, she was a shock withdrawal for the opening game of the World Cup and obviously
08:03missed a lot of that tournament with the ankle injury, but as we've seen, she's back on the
08:07field playing for Chelsea, largely off the bench, but she scored that goal in the FA Cup
08:10against Manchester United last weekend, played extra time, played about 50 minutes in total
08:14by the time they tacked that on, so I think she's good enough to start the match.
08:18Mary Fowler is more of a concern.
08:20She hasn't started a match for the best part of a year.
08:22She started at the weekend, but only played 60 minutes, and that was the first time in
08:26315 days she'd started a game.
08:28So, there's more of a concern there, but to have her off the bench, I think, is a great
08:32weapon for Australia.
08:33And she is going to be leading.
08:34She's made it absolutely known that she does want to continue captaining as someone who's
08:38captained your side.
08:39Tess, is it one of those things where having stability and leadership is so important coming
08:42into a tournament like this?
08:43One hundred percent, and we see this great support Steph Catley has shown us.
08:47So, like, so much support to be able to be the vice-captain and then step in whenever
08:52she's needed.
08:52So, I think it will be huge for Sam Kerr to be out there starting, leading from the front,
08:57at a home tournament.
08:58There's nothing more you hope for as an athlete.
09:00And Asian Cup is such a huge tournament for football.
09:03So, I can't wait to see Sam out there hopefully playing at 99 percent, 85 and above.
09:09That's very, that's a hundred to me.
09:11And we'll take an 85 percent, Sam Kerr, at this point, especially as Australian fans that
09:14have just been waiting to see after that ACL that took forever to recover.
09:19We're excited to see her back out there.
09:20And if we do look back through the history, the Matildas played their way into the national
09:24sporting spotlight by winning the Asian Cup in 2010.
09:27And it was a then 16-year-old Sam Kerr who collected her first goal for Australia.
09:32And there she is.
09:33I mean, 16, surely she should be more worried about getting to science or I don't know.
09:38There she is.
09:39And not her signature prowess there with the backflip either.
09:43She had a few more years to practice, but she clearly has some really fond memories of
09:47the tournament.
09:48And she pointed out yesterday just how far women's football has come.
09:57I think when I went to my first Asian Cup, no one expected us to win it.
10:00We were, you know, considered one of the dark horses or outsiders and maybe 1,000 people
10:08came and watched our game.
10:09I had to call my mum.
10:10The games weren't even live at the time.
10:12So, you know, you have to start somewhere and, you know, five Asian Cups ago, that's
10:16where Australia was.
10:17And you fast forward to today and, you know, the Matildas is a household name in Australia.
10:23It is incredible to think that in one player's lifetime and career lifetime that you can
10:27have such a turnaround in attendance and interest in a sport.
10:31No, for sure.
10:32I mean, you look at those scenes and it does seem a lifetime ago, even sort of shows how
10:39patchy some of the camera work was and the fact that there's clearly not many people there
10:43in the stands.
10:44Extraordinary.
10:45And Sam Kirsch has gone, as you touched on, from very much a peripheral figure in Australian
10:49life and the Matildas have been to this absolute behemoth, this Australian and almost
10:54global icon.
10:55It's extraordinary to think.
10:56So, yeah, it's a great reminder of how quickly things can turn.
11:00And it's actually, it should be inspiration for other women's sports or other sports full
11:05stop as to what can be done in a relatively short period of time, although I do wonder
11:09maybe if it was just, it was always a sleeping giant and always dormant and that there was
11:12that latent ability there for soccer to galvanise, football to galvanise and it's done so since
11:17then.
11:17Well, we know that the World Cup was the most watched sporting event in Australian sports
11:22history period.
11:22So there was just so much attention with that World Cup.
11:25I think we're all interested to see just how much of that attention they can garner for
11:28an Asian Cup.
11:29But it's on home soil and a chance for an Australian win.
11:31So we're very much looking forward to that.
11:33But we will push on and have a look at the A-League now.
11:35And Mark Milligan's Newcastle Jets are atop the ladder, Ned.
11:38Something we didn't expect we'd be saying.
11:40Start of the season, I definitely don't think so.
11:42A rookie coach coming in to take over the club.
11:45Not with huge resources as well.
11:47He's not gone out there and splashed cash on bringing in big name players.
11:51He's worked with a lot of good young players there, experienced players he's pulled in
11:54from around the rest of the competition.
11:55He won the Australia Cup before the season kicked off, which is obviously a club that
12:00features lots of non-league teams and A-League teams as well.
12:03So lifted silverware before the season got underway and now has them on top of the ladder.
12:07They're on a winning run since Boxing Day until last night when they drew 0-0 with the
12:11Central Coast Mariners.
12:12But they are on great form at the moment.
12:14He's done an incredible job to turn them around.
12:16And if you are at home thinking they should have showed us some highlights from the game,
12:19it was a nil-all draw, which is what happens sometimes in football.
12:22But we are excited for the Jets and the success that they've seen.
12:25I think Mark Milligan's got a huge future ahead of him and I think just off the back
12:28of what he's done in this first season.
12:29And he's developing some really good young talent coming through that club.
12:32It's been a good footballing hotbed over a number of years.
12:35They've had financial difficulties.
12:36They've righted the ship there.
12:38So to see them on the top of the ladder is great for the sport.
12:41If we were going to show lots of goals though, Wanderers 4-0 against MacArthur.
12:45And there was a bit of controversy there with one of the refs getting in the way of
12:48a goal.
12:48Yeah, which is never what you want to see.
12:50Obviously you don't want to notice the referees in matches.
12:52That's always what people say.
12:53But look, MacArthur have been struggling a bit this year.
12:55So for a while had Western Sydney Wanderers.
12:57But they definitely seem to have just turned the corner a little bit now and recovered
13:01and seem to be a side on the up.
13:04To be scoring four goals away from home, albeit relatively close to home, only a down in MacArthur,
13:08that's a good win for the Wanderers.
13:10And I think it shows good signs for them at the back end of the season.
13:12It's still quite a tight competition in the back end of the A-League.
13:15So I think they'll be fancying the chances of playing finals.
13:17I think any time that you see four goals in the A-League, you know the fans, particularly
13:20the Wanderers fans, are going to have a wonderful night out.
13:22And it is good for the sport, right?
13:24Yeah, I think plenty of goals.
13:26When you see plenty of goals, that's generally what people always want to see.
13:28It's the frustration of the Mariners and the Jets game, which we would have liked to have
13:31seen some goals in today.
13:32We will be moving on to the basketball now, and the Townsville Fire are one up in the
13:36best of three WNBL grand final series against the Perth Lynx after an 88-79 win in Game
13:42One.
13:42The Fire are going for their fifth title, while the Lynx haven't won since 1993, when they
13:48were known as the Breakers.
13:49The series moves to Perth today.
13:51And we know that the Perth crowd is basically another character in this game, isn't it,
13:55Tess?
13:55Because it gets heated there.
13:57Yeah, absolutely.
13:58The players are having to do the largest road trip in the league, going from Townsville to
14:03Perth.
14:03So it will be a test of attrition.
14:06Who's the fittest?
14:07Obviously, Perth have to win to keep the final series alive.
14:10And what I saw on Thursday night, it's going to be a really tough ask for Perth.
14:15Townsville played fantastically.
14:16And although Townsville were seeded as number one, with Perth coming in as number two, the
14:22way Perth were playing in the lead up to that game, you know, I had them as favourites going
14:26into that game.
14:27So it was awesome to see Townsville's game plan, the players sticking to that so well,
14:31and really led by the front with Courtney Woods and Alicia Froehling, their co-captains.
14:35You mentioned that Townsville can wrap it up today in game two.
14:38Are you hoping that for the WNBL, we do see a longer final series?
14:41100%.
14:42I really hope it does go to a game three.
14:44It's been a fantastic season, and I think it all being over in two games would be a
14:49little bit disappointing.
14:50So I do hope, you know, Larry Kesselman, Robin Denholm leading the WNBL now look to put it
14:55to a five game series, especially for this grand final series.
14:58You do mention Larry taking over the ownership of the WNBL.
15:01There's been so much celebrated about what he's been able to do with the NBL.
15:05Have you seen the growth that you'd hope to see in the league?
15:08Yeah, definitely.
15:09I mean, it's been attendance has been up 63% up on attendance.
15:13That's incredible.
15:14118% up on viewership on broadcast.
15:18I do think we do need to get some of those superstars playing overseas, like the Samuel
15:22Whitcomb, Steph Reeds, you know, Ezi Magbago, Alana Smith back in the WNBL to really boost
15:27the product of the game.
15:30And I think one thing that we've seen this year, which has really helped attendance and
15:33viewership, is having Han Ju, China's best player, playing in the WNBL.
15:38So getting some more of those Asian players within the WNBL will not only improve the product
15:43on the floor, but also tap into that really, the Asian market, which is really untapped
15:49and to increase broadcast.
15:51And obviously that increases what all players want, pay and better conditions.
15:55That is one of the difficult things, especially when you're dealing with a sport like basketball,
15:59what some of our Australian players are earning overseas, the league simply can't compete
16:03with right now.
16:04Absolutely.
16:04So I do think it's definitely on the right track.
16:07I'm so happy that Larry did take it over when he did.
16:10We've already seen such huge improvements and, you know, people do want to invest in women's
16:16sport at the moment.
16:17Yes.
16:17Basketball globally with Caitlin Clark, Angel Rees, it really is on the rise.
16:21And so I think the WNBL will continue to go from strength to strength.
16:25And some of the improvements there that you mentioned by percentages, I mean, if they can
16:28do that year on year, the sky's the limit, really.
16:30It's been an amazing upturn.
16:32Yeah, absolutely.
16:33We move on now to cricket and the Australian women's team leads the multi-format series against
16:37India 6-4 with the fifth year overmatch and a test still to go.
16:41Georgia Bowl was a star in the second ODI, notching a century, and she's someone, Daniel,
16:46who's been on the fringe of selection in this side, but when she gets an opportunity, she
16:49goes for it.
16:51Yeah, she's had to be a little bit in and out, Georgia Bowl.
16:53She's sort of come in initially through some injuries that Elisa Healey's had.
16:56Obviously, she's not a weekkeeper herself, so she's not a like-for-like replacement in
16:59that respect.
17:00But at the top of the order, she's done really well through her limited opportunities and she's
17:05got a very bright future, still in her early 20s, a very, very promising player and already
17:09performing for Australia on the national stage.
17:11The fact that she combined with Phoebe Litchfield there in this match in Hobart on Friday night
17:15was a very promising sign for Australian cricket and the Australian women's team going forward
17:19because there is that generational transition.
17:22It's no longer going to be with Healey finishing up after this Perth test.
17:26And we don't hold any World Cups at the moment, which is such a rare thing to say about this
17:29side.
17:29No, for sure.
17:32Yeah, it is somewhat empty, the trophy cabinet at the moment, which is remarkable given how
17:36sort of notionally, not notionally, all-conquering they have been over a long period of time.
17:39But at the end of the day, you've got to perform at the World Cups.
17:42I mean, the good thing about cricket and World Cups is that they are like London buses.
17:45So there's another one coming up in only a few months' time in England, in the UK,
17:49another T20 World Cup.
17:50And that's actually, I suppose, the format where Australia has been struggling.
17:53They did lose that Series 2-1 to India and there are some concerns.
17:58Interestingly enough, they've just overnight announced that the test match has been scrapped
18:01from the upcoming multi-format series against the West Indies, which is a real shame because
18:06we just don't see, you see so little test cricket.
18:09I mean, there's this big test coming up, the day-night test coming up in Perth next weekend,
18:13but so few nations playing test cricket.
18:15I mean, we know it's a big issue in men's cricket, let alone women's, where you see very,
18:18very little.
18:18It was going to be a real groundbreaking test.
18:21But I can also understand from cricket West Indies' perspective, they've got a T20 World
18:24Cup to prepare for and they don't necessarily want to be throwing resources at a format that
18:27they barely play at all.
18:29You do mention there's a test coming up in this series against India.
18:31It is an interesting points system that they have for this tournament.
18:34I mentioned Australia's 6-4 up at the moment, but where do we stand and how could it look?
18:38Yeah, so there's two points on offer for each of the white ball matches.
18:42So this is the last white ball match today in Hobart.
18:44Unfortunately, one of those matches was due to be played in Melbourne and had to be moved
18:47because the junction over the lights weren't ready yet.
18:49So sadly, you know, when you consider that it's six years since the T20 World Cup final
18:53at the MCG, there's not a single women's international match in Australia this summer, which is a
18:57real shame, but great for Hobart.
18:59And so then there's two points there, so Australia can, I suppose, ensure that they can't lose
19:03the series if they win today and go 8-4 up.
19:06And then the test match is worth four points for the winner and two points for a draw.
19:09So I suppose, unlike the Ashes where there's the retention dynamic here, because it doesn't
19:14have an overarching name like the Bordogavisker Trophy, you don't get, there's no retention
19:18dynamic here.
19:19So it's not like, you know, they will have retained the BGT if they win today.
19:23They obviously want to win the series outright if they can.
19:25So still high stakes and it's been a good series so far.
19:28I think India, particularly winning the most recent World Cup to get one up on them, especially
19:32on home, so it would mean so much.
19:34And though Australia does lead the series, the home team has some injury concerns.
19:38And we spoke to the coach, Shelley Nishke, a short time ago and asked her about the injury
19:42to the new skipper in Sophie Molyneux.
19:46We're not really totally clear.
19:48We're still finding out a bit more information about that.
19:50She's obviously got some back soreness missing the rest of this series.
19:54So just gathering more information about that and what that means for the future at the moment.
20:00Now you do have a few other injury concerns.
20:02Will Elyse Perry and Kim Garth be fit for the rest of the Perth test later this week?
20:07Look, I think that Kim's probably unlikely at this stage.
20:11And we're hopeful for Elyse.
20:14She's tracking along nicely.
20:15Obviously, Kim's got a huge role to play with the ball.
20:19And if she were to play that test, she's going to be required to bowl quite a number of oversaw.
20:23I think it could get a little tight with her, but we're hopeful that Pez is going to be
20:27able to get up for that test match.
20:29And last time we spoke, you mentioned the depth of the squad.
20:32This is around the World Cup and the fact that players of Georgia Bowl's quality were actually
20:35missing out on game time.
20:37You must have been wrapped to see her bring up her ton on Friday.
20:40Yeah, it was awesome.
20:41Obviously, taking her opportunity there with Pez being unavailable and Voila just slotting
20:46into number three and scoring a hundred.
20:49So, yeah, she was excellent and so good to see her get an opportunity, as she does most
20:53times when she gets an opportunity.
20:54She grabs it with both hands and makes the most of it.
20:58So, yeah, we're blessed to have her just be able to step into that position and fill those
21:03shoes and play a really important role for us on Friday.
21:35I just mentioned the World Cup.
21:36She's going to lead the series 6-4 and, as you mentioned, an important match coming up
21:39today.
21:40But then you do mention the test.
21:41That's going to be Elisa Healey's last ever match.
21:44I'm a little bit emotional about it.
21:45I can't imagine how much it means to you.
21:47What are you going to miss the most about her?
21:49Oh, it's going to be different around the place without Midge.
21:53That's for sure.
21:54She's obviously been part of the furniture for a long time and a massive part of this
21:57team, playing a huge role both on and off the field for this team and the broader game.
22:02So, I think there's a lot of things we'll miss.
22:05There's a fair bit of cheeky banter that goes on when Midge is around, so we'll certainly miss
22:10that.
22:10I'm sure someone will pick that up somewhere, but been such a massive contributor, like I
22:14said, both to this team on the field, to the broader game off the field, and will certainly
22:19be missed a lot and looking forward to hopefully giving her a really good farewell in Perth.
22:26There's something fitting about Healey finishing in the Whites as well.
22:29Do you think there'll be a few tears?
22:32Oh, I reckon there might be.
22:34Yeah, it's going to be a pretty emotional occasion.
22:37I think, like I said, she's played for a long time and it's been part of her life for a
22:42long
22:42time and she's been a huge part of this team.
22:44So, she might not be the only one shedding tears because I think it'll be, you know, it's
22:49a sad occasion, but it's something to celebrate as well, just an unbelievable career.
22:54And a test match, especially for Australia, is always something to look forward to.
22:58We look forward to that, but best of luck today, Shelly.
23:00Thank you so much for your time.
23:01No problems.
23:03Shelly Nishke there, the coach of the all-conquering Australian women's cricket team.
23:06But there are some problems, Daniel, that's been thrown up by this change of leadership.
23:10Soph Molyneux, a very popular appointment, it has to be said, but it means that Alana King,
23:14as a spinner, is going to have more competition for her spot.
23:17Yeah, I suppose with King being a wrist spinner, a leg spinner, right arm leg spinner, and then
23:21you've got Molyneux as the left arm, Orthodox, you know, they do generally turn the ball in
23:24the same direction, which just limits the amount of selection options when you've already got
23:28Ash Gardner, who's a lock in the team, and clearly they've got so many all-round options
23:31generally.
23:33Look, it's, we see with George Evol, very hard team to get into full stop, as well as you're
23:36performing.
23:38You know, King does such a good job.
23:39I thought she was very, very unlucky to miss out on selection for the T20 leg of the series.
23:44And, you know, I suppose in hindsight, given they lost that, lost that series 2-1, you
23:47could probably say, well, you know, maybe they should have picked her, but she's performed
23:50very well every time she's played, pretty much every time she plays for Australia.
23:53So, and just unfortunately for Sophie Molyneux, she just can't get her body right consistently,
23:58and you do worry, in terms of disappointment in the medium term, how much we'll actually see
24:03of her on the park.
24:04When she plays, very good player, not necessarily one of the absolute superstars of the team,
24:08but pretty consistent and pretty dependable, but that's when she's actually on the park.
24:13Well, it's great that we've got the likes of Gardner and also McGrath to be in the likes
24:18for the leadership as well.
24:19It is time to be moving on to observations though, Neb, we'll start with you.
24:22Look, it's amazing that we're just on the 1st of March and rugby league season kicking
24:26off today in Las Vegas, two matches over there.
24:29Every year they rotate different teams through, so it's a huge thing again, four different clubs
24:33playing out, Knights and Cowboys and Bulldogs and Dragons, it's been another big weekend
24:37for them in Vegas.
24:38It's amazing that it's got to this point in the program, it's the first time we've
24:41mentioned Vegas, that's how much is going on with our national teams, because they have
24:45done so well, the NRL, in making this an institution and it's into its third opening now and I
24:50think the players seem to really love it too.
24:52They do, the fans love it as well and Peter Volandis has got plans to take it to three different
24:56cities around the world as well, he's planning global expansion, Peter Volandis at the moment.
25:00If PVL has a plan, it tends to happen as well, we know that. Tess, over to you.
25:04Bryce Cotton won his sixth MVP in the NBL earlier this week. Fantastic. Huge congrats
25:11to him. Andrew Gaze is coming for you. Gaze currently holds a record at seven. Obviously
25:17a lot of talk from Kendrick Davis about releasing the votes, as we see they do in the NBA.
25:22I'd actually like that, to have some more transparency around the voting system, so I'd love to see
25:27that next year.
25:28And the NBL have come out and said that they're not going to make any changes. Do you think
25:31they should? Because there has been a lot of criticism.
25:34I think so. I mean, I would have voted for Bryce for MVP, absolutely. But I do think the
25:38transparency, as a league keeps attracting these superstar players, that race for MVP is
25:43going to become tighter and tighter. So holding the people accountable for who's making the
25:47votes, like if you're voting, you really have nothing to hide. So I see no problem with releasing
25:52the votes.
25:53I did joke with Andrew Gaze, and he was sitting in the chair UR now, that they might have to
25:56rename it the Bryce Cotton medal, and he almost knocked out both other panelists. He wasn't
26:00happy with that suggestion. So maybe I'll leave that for another time. Daniel?
26:04The runaway success that is Formula One is back and arrives at Albert Park on Thursday.
26:10Oscar Piastri, after his near miss and I suppose somewhat capitulation towards the back half
26:14of last season, he's back and obviously vying for that world title. So yeah, it's just been
26:19an incredible success on the back of Drive to Survive and everything they've done there.
26:23So all credit to the F1 authorities.
26:25And it is going to be massive, hopefully, to see. He didn't do so well at the last F1,
26:29Oscar Piastri in Australia. So we'll see what happens. And we also just want to make the
26:33observation that Maccabi Diva passed away at the ripe old age of 27 with a short bout of
26:38college, having won three Melbourne Cups and also a Cox Plate, just one of the champions
26:42of Australian sport and thoughts with all the connections there. Team, it's been wonderful
26:46having you all today. Thank you so much. And what's a pretty difficult morning, but there's
26:50lots of ramifications for sport and we appreciate your time. But that's all we have time for
26:54in today's program. We'll leave you with more scenes from Vegas, where the Newcastle Knights
26:59forward Greg Marzu was the standout performer in the most important pregame ritual, the dance-off.
27:06Here we go, Greg. Here we go, Greg!
27:11Okay. What? Oh!
27:14Oh, oh, oh, oh!
27:17Oh, oh! Get it, Greg! Get it, Greg.
27:19Get it, Greg! Get it, Greg! What? What?
27:23Yeah!
27:23Greg Marzu! Winner! Winner!
27:27After MVP.
27:28Here we go.
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