You're listening to a podcast from News Talks. It be follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio. This is Sportsfix Howard by News Talks.
It be Welcome on into Sports Fix. Sarah goes again the podcast with the mostus as we talk sport. I want to say me predominantly myself, Darcy Walter Grave, and we'll be joined later on the piece by digital sport editor from New Zealand, held Alex Powells. We'll pick through a couple of the big sports stories of the day. Shortly you'll hear from Richard Agar, assistant coach of the Warriors. The first team is out ready to take on and hopefully take apart the Raiders on Sunday, New Zealand time
and the opening round of the NRL. Coming to you from a Las Vegas. I've got some thoughts around the ever changing landscape of sports coverage. Get on your computer, on your phone or on your TV and that's what we plan on doing here, the Sports Fixed to your home of all the latest sport you need to know from some of it you probably don't care about. It's
good amongst in other news. Then sports star statements today Warriors winger Roger Tuivasa Sheeck is all fired up to start the NRL twenty five season and a good old U survey. The fullback center, former All Black, Blue and now winger is all about hanging out with the team whoever they are, worry that they play.
We've got a new group, new leaders, new sort of players coming in, new plans, So I'm just excited to go out there at Express and you know, the last couple of months or but just running it, running against each other. So I'm just excited to play with this new group of boys.
Qv Ben Campbell, new live golfer, mill Brook member and Queenstown local, knows all too well the key advantage of playing the New Zealand Open at home the Globe Trott and Golfer can't get enough others own, do they.
It's obviously Kate. I love playing. You know, when you can keep in your own bed and play golf, tournament's pretty amazing. So I'm not really looking forward to the week.
You know, the tournament just gets getting stronger and stronger. And Blue skipper Patrick took a lot who knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but also knows that standing still can sing the team.
I mean, we need a volleyball game.
I think most teams are copying us and sort of taking stuff from our game and how we played last year.
There We've got to get better as well. And part of theirs have you seeing it different?
Three athletes, three cuts, sports stars and their own.
Words New Scandon, It's Sportsfix with Dancy Waldegrave.
One of my favorite quotes, and trust me, I've got a pile of them, is this The only constant is change never truer than in the world of televised sport, of streamed sport, of sport wherever you want to get it on your phone, on your computer, on your notebook, on your television. It doesn't matter. It is coming at us thick and fast, and we have to be nimble when it comes to consuming our favorite sport. I know
that for the older generation this becomes very difficult. The speed of change can become overwhelming for people maybe in their seventies and their eighties. This I know because my mother is experiencing the same issue. From my point of view, I feel you have to keep up to date, you have to accept the nature of change, and you have to be ready to pivot whenever it is required. Currently it looks like the zone are climbing on board the
argument for rights for New Zealand rugby. It's taken away from underneath the nose of SkyTV, and there are thoughts that if SkyTV lose the rugby there's a good chance they'reabout as cooked as they come. But the nature of streaming services, the televisions, the smart TVs we have these days, and the ease of access to a number of channels, a number of streams and a number of different sports does make the world out oyster when it comes to
watching sport globally twenty four to seven. In my position, I feel I have to buy everything. I need to be dial into the major sports that New Zealanders are interested in and the major sports that I'm interested in as well. I've gone from Spark through Sky I've got to say that's always been a constant to streaming services, and the more I do it, the more I engage in it, the easier it becomes to work out what the current norm is when it comes to sport broadcasting.
Accepting the inevitable for me is key. It's fast, it can be head spinning. But if you want to get the very best of sport coverage around the globe, you have to be prepared to move with the times. That's the human way.
Secting the sporting agenda. It's Sports Fix with Dancy Waldegrave.
Welcome to the podcast to Richard Agar, assistant coach of the Warriors who find themselves in Las Vegas here of the opening round of the season on Sunday, New Zealand. Time they take on the might of the Raiders to give the United States of America a good taste of what context sport really is. Richard joins us. Now, Richard welcome. Probably not the easiest gig you've been involved in.
Look, we're here to work. I think that's the important thing. It's an amazing event and spectacle, and you know, we feel very privileged that we're one of the chosen teams to kick off the season and we've just done some press and got asked a similar question. It's very very akin to a magic weekend, you know, where there's a lot of teams in one place, and you know, as one team's on the training field and other teams off it and you're.
Running to people in the hotels and all that.
But I think because of those magic weeks and experiences, everybody's sort of used to it. You know, it's not as wholly unusual as it may well have been back in time. Obviously, Vegas is very different, but being here quite early enabled the boys, you know, to get out there and have a look and spend some time together before you know, before we got down to the you know, the serious hard work and finishing our preparation for the game on Saturday.
The game itself, on the feud you're with, the lines you've got and everything else, is that much different from what you'd experienced in our Elville, over here and in inz Or Australia.
I think, I think from by all accounts, you know, the play surface is very good. We don't get to see it until we finished our last training session on Friday. What we found is we've trained on the pitch with similar dimensions for the last maybe half a dozen sessions. We obviously played on one down in Hamilton too. So look, you're saying, of both sides, we've gone back and had a look at last year's games. Both both games had
plenty of points in them. There might be the odd instance where the size of the pitch comes into it, but it certainly didn't stop those games being high scoring games and have too much effect on the play. And it's same for both sides. So it's not it's not, it's not anything that's become too much of an issue for us.
Richard, you see, you know, Daniel media sessions. What's been the dominant thought question from the American media? How much have they actually climbed into this, Well, it's.
Not really, it's mainly it's been mainly the Australian and New Zealand media to be fair. There's some some British media ear this morning, which you know it's the first time they've been so there's a lot of excitement the fact that a British team is participating in you know what is predominantly an NURL event. Uh you know the codes and not the code sorry, the two governing bodies
working together on that. The American media, I guess have been quite passive in media conferences are certainly the ones I've done anyway, as in the stand and the listening they observed. You know, there's not been I guess a heap of questions coming through about that, but you know, there's certainly been a reasonably strong presence from You've.
Managed to finally got yourself a team selected first time, and I don't know how long the decisions around that Playingly it comes down to coach, but you'd have a fierce say I'd suggested have an here within many debatable positions there before you name that team. Richard, Yeah, loads and good ones.
You know, I felt last year at the times during the season, I guess we're shuffling the decks a little bit with the amount of injuries we had and probably people not in the form that we would have liked. But this year, everybody's trained well, They've been really well
connected in training. The trial form has been good and when we picked the team, you know, before we sat down to pick the team, we've felt straight away that they were going to be three or four good players in good form and experienced players that potentially wouldn't make our lineup. So yeah, it were difficult. I think the makeup of the bench was probably the biggest talking point, if you like, just around how you're going to make
interchanges work, the facts. It's around one game, taking into account the opposition that we're playing as well, and just making sure that going in with an interchange plan, we've got all bases covered on rotation, and sometimes it's not just a case of can you get people on and off, it's just can you use all those substitutions effectively well and give everybody the required game time that you know
you think that player warrants. So yeah, that was difficult, but we feel we've come up with something for around one that certainly gives us cover, picks people in form, gives us our best opportunity to attack and defense strongly. And at the same time, as I said, the guys that we think probably just warranted the ship, I'm going to say that a couple of quite unbelievably close calls around the bench, and sometimes you need a crystal ball to get that one right, you know, because you know,
we don't know what's going to happen. But as I say, we think we've got most of our bases covered. So yeah, fingers crossed, fingers crossed, we've got it right. And you know, I love the fact that we've been able to pick two three young guys in our in our what mate, just purely unmerit.
Gone, who was the tightest call you've started it you can finish it well.
I think the last one on the bench, you know, whether that's Sam Healy tomorrow Mar And I'm trying to think who else would have been in contention for that. You know, bunts had really strong showings pre season. Eddie and I is a guy that will come into contention because of his versatility. So you know when I say all those guys were, you know we're in the mix.
They genuinely were in the mix.
The chamber is now incision on sports.
Come on, we'll welcome to oh mate, Alex Powell here in the chamber. I'm know you about what how long now, Alex?
Well, I mean this is debatable because i'd work experience with you, like in two thousand and nine and you don't remember it.
But it was a long time ago. I'll call you old mate. It feels like you've been around far too long. Anyway. He's the digital editor for New Zealand. Here it always lots to talk about the wonderful wide world of sport. Look, it was like yesterday the team came out. We've had a chance now to digest it. We don't know anything until they play against the Raiders' initial thoughts around what the wars have presented.
I mean there was no great surprises. I think the only real question was who was going to be at five eighth. We knew that Luke Mtcalff was going to be half back. Were they going to go Shanelle Harris Devita or were they going to go to Mighty Martin. They've gone Schanell Harris, Tavita, Tomira. He's not even on the bench, he's on the extended Yeah.
Well, I don't know if they get a use, but I mean that's quite abrupt because I thought he'd at least be there.
But no, Well they've done this with somebody even when you think back to last year and who's playing really well at half back and then they'd bring Sean Johnson back and he wouldn't even be on the So I mean they obviously see a role from outside of the match day squad or.
People break so he's got to be around involved. But do you think that's a good idea to have channel in there? This works for you?
I really like Chanel Harris to it. I think he might have the highest ceiling of all the harves they've got. I think we're far from cine missim I think he's the most versatile half they've got because he's look at him, he plays six and seven, he's had a World Cup final at nine, he's played for the Ways at fallback. He probably do a job in the centers. He could play at thirteen. So I think having him out there is just such.
He understands the spine, doesn't it. Think that's, as we all know, very very important. All those I've always seen the spines well and good. But if you've got no limbs, you can't go anywhere. And there are limbs in that pack. There are limbs really looking forward to seeing James Fisher Harris, aren't we all.
I mean, have you seen the behind the scenes stuff they're doing from Vegas. No, he's awesome.
Ah, but he's a key part of this and I think that we've got to stop and I won't say the name so you hear focusing on who we've lost, because who we've gained and who we've picked up is extraordinarily valuable. We get it. Some of those guys are going to be missed, but it's about the future.
I think, to be honest, the only one who really steals its mear is Tahu because that was the most recent. But like we knew two years ago, Infaniel Blake was going, you know.
Was he ever really here?
He was here, but James Fisher Harris came in and last what May. So we've had a long time to get used to the idea of it, and I think everyone's just as excited the fact he's starting, the fact he's co captain, as well as Mitch Barnett. I mean that if you say who has the scariest captains in there? How I think the Warriors take it in straight sets with those two.
Do you think we've got over the loss of Sean Johnson? We should have done. I had that two years ago, a wonderful year. Last year he's kind of already out the door, wasn't he. So I don't know if that gets missed either.
I think that, of course they're going to miss him. You know, he's probably for me and the Warrior's top three players of all time. Yeah, you know, you don't replace it overnight. But they've got a guy on Luke Metcalfe who a David vested in, but be they believe in.
Let's talk about the wing men, because Roger Tui Vasa shek bring you out there. Oh he'll rip it up. Guy's a great prime. So pleased they've given somewhere we can act. You have some space, unlike sin to which I thought was just bizarre. What about on the other wing, the size of Taine.
I worry. I mean, tanned to a pecky is not the biggest guy, but that's never stopped and playing at fullback has it, you know, And I'm obviously he's gonna be fielding a few more kicks and you are really if you're an opposition kicker, you're going to really look to challenge him in the air. But he'll find a way because the good players do. And tain to a pick, he's a bloody good player. It was quick, he's qua get it.
You're accelerated off and I think he'd probably embraced this challenge of being picked one. Yeah, sure, kick it to me.
He's not just quick, he's smart and that's gonna I think ultimately any physical disadvantgy have will be made up for his intelligence.
Across the board. The entire team, Yes, it looks good, but they've got a lot to pick up now. They sold out every home game last year. That won't last if they dropped the ball on the first hand full of round, so maybe they can be forgiven this first one. It's an interesting trip over to Vegas. But our whole coaching Staft's on not just now, Oh are they They have to be? Okay? Well don't don't you agree they
have to be. They had their great start and then last year it kind of flound and it swallowed around. Now they've got the team there, they've got it. They've got to get up to the eight otherwise there'll be pel to pay.
No, you're right, there probably are very few excuses. They can't have as much disruption as they did last year.
No, well's hope they don't have as many injuries as well always.
And they're going to have injuries, and that's the thing. It's how you deal with that.
Well, we'll find out more about that in Las Vegas underway on a Sunday afternoon. What a great time for it. Mar nin who's still playing pro football, he's still up these forty two years old and he signed up to play top fourteen rugby. I would say that's barely believable, but it's Mar Nonu so it is.
That's the thing. I mean, how we thought after twenty fifteen when he was done with the All Blacks, thought oh that's it and then he went over to Sas he came back to the Blues, I remember there was talk will you get back into the All Blacks for the twenty nineteen World Cup night?
You know?
Look, I mean I grew up with Mar. I'm a Hurricanes fan. I just love watching the guy. I really like. It's made me insit in the top fourteen. Just how does mar go to to get a start. But if you're a young guy coming through it too long, which I know, Toulon's not the best club for developing like local talent because you know, the ownership does see the value and bringing overseas stars. If you're a young guy who can pick Martin on his brain, you are just coming up. Trump's there huge.
And I like the ways Carryon's career because the way he signed off twenty fifteen World Cup. Finally, if there's a way to leave international representation, there's a bitter way. I haven't seen it, but I don't think he's bothered his copybook along the way? Has he? Now?
I think we can't overlook the fact that it is his job. He needs to make as much money as he can while he can, you know, because I mean I don't know too much about mar.
To be fair, and no one knows too much about ma. He hardly is agreeable with the media, and he hasn't been in the past, right.
Well remember when he came back to the Blues and it was sort of in his contract, doesn't have to do media, but he would hang about and all the background of all the media conferences, just teasing the journalists, like you want to speak to me, but you can't.
And who doesn't love to tease journalist to Alex Powell. Digital Sport EDIFO the New Zealand Herald. Thanks very much for joining us and the Chamber.
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EB wrapped up with a bow on it. That's Sports Fix podcast for another day, that day being Wednesday, the twenty sixth of feb twenty twenty five. My name is Darcy Waldgrave. And if you want more sport talk, but interactive sport talk, well sport talk between at seven and eight Monday to Friday, you'll catch myself on four of those days. Jason Pine's got Monday and of course Piney has the whole weekend between twelve midday and three o'clock
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