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Speaker 1: You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine

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Speaker 1: from Newstalk ZB.

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Speaker 2: Auckland FC have their latest game in the A League

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Speaker 2: means this afternoon they're back home at go Media Stadium

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Speaker 2: in Auckland. Unbeaten so far and with a one hundred

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Speaker 2: percent winning record at home, they take on Western United

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Speaker 2: five o'clock kickoff at go Media Stadium, Aucland FC fallback

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Speaker 2: Callan Elliott joins us. Thanks for taking taking our call

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Speaker 2: on match day, Kellen, before we look ahead to this afternoon,

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Speaker 2: how happy with the coaching staff in the playing group

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Speaker 2: in fact, with the two to draw away at Melbourne

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Speaker 2: City last time out?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think in the end it was

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Speaker 3: a it was a good result. You know, that first

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Speaker 3: half we didn't really play up to the standard that

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Speaker 3: we can play. We didn't really have any control over

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Speaker 3: the game, so you know, showing the characters to come

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Speaker 3: back from one they'll down after that half and even

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Speaker 3: almost getting the win. I think overall we're pretty happy

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Speaker 3: with the result.

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Speaker 2: One kneel down and then two one down and even

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Speaker 2: getting quite late in the game at two one down.

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Speaker 2: What sorts of conversations were going on out there.

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Speaker 3: I mean that second half we were a bad team,

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Speaker 3: so we knew we knew we could get goals. It

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Speaker 3: was just when and yeah, we just kept pushing toil

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Speaker 3: the final whistle and thankfully ned I got that free kick.

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Speaker 2: So you've started and played ninety minutes and two of

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Speaker 2: the last three games, including last week against Melbourne City.

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Speaker 2: How happy have you been with your performances in those games.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I've been fairly happy. The fancifully after, I've been

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Speaker 3: pretty strong. I hadn't been able to get up the

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Speaker 3: pitch as much as I usually do. I think just

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Speaker 3: I'm not fully match fat, you know, coming in after

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Speaker 3: not playing for the first however many games, So I

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Speaker 3: think that's going to come. Yeah, but overall pretty happy.

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Speaker 2: How much of an attacking brief do you have in

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Speaker 2: that role? Obviously it's a it's a it's part of

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Speaker 2: the back four. Defense is the is the core part

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Speaker 2: of it. But how much of an attacking brief do

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Speaker 2: you have as a fullback under under Steve Corricer's system.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. He likes our our fullbacks game for it. He

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Speaker 3: wants us getting balls into the box and you know,

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Speaker 3: when we when we don't have the ball, when we

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Speaker 3: do have the ball? Sorry, and we're we're in the box.

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Speaker 3: He wants us right up there, you know. So yeah,

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Speaker 3: the attacking for it's very attack and minded the fullbacks

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Speaker 3: and in.

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Speaker 2: This Auckland f C set up, you're obviously playing the

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Speaker 2: same position as as the captain Hiroki Sakai. He's obviously

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Speaker 2: at the moment covering for the absence of Dan Hall.

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Speaker 2: But how do you approach something like that when when

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Speaker 2: the captain of the side plays in the same position

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Speaker 2: that you do.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean can it can be tough? Obviously he

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Speaker 3: is very strong competition. But you know, it's just you're

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Speaker 3: just going to be ready for when your chance comes.

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Speaker 1: You know.

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Speaker 3: I go into training every day, train as hard as

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Speaker 3: I can, you know, do the right things so when

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Speaker 3: my opportunity does come like now, then I'm ready to play.

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Speaker 2: And in terms of that fitness skill and I mean,

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Speaker 2: how far away do you think you are from from

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Speaker 2: being at at your peak where you're where you're happy

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Speaker 2: fitness wise, In terms of the match fitness something.

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Speaker 3: I'm almost there. Basically, they're already. I just I just

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Speaker 3: need a couple a couple of games. Obviously, if you

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Speaker 3: go into the first match starting from preseason. You're pretty

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Speaker 3: fit from preseason, but obviously trainings cam down a bit

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Speaker 3: when the season starts, so you lose a bit when

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Speaker 3: you're not playing. So it only takes a couple of

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Speaker 3: matches to get back up to full fitness.

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Speaker 2: So you're back in the I League now. You left

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Speaker 2: Wellington at the back end or after the twenty twenty

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Speaker 2: two twenty three season signed with Motherwell and Scotland but

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Speaker 2: didn't get any minutes there. How do you reflect on

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Speaker 2: the last eighteen months before you joined Auckland f C.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it was it was a tough, tough

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Speaker 3: time to be honest. I didn't go the way I'd

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Speaker 3: hoped for, but you know it was a good experience,

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Speaker 3: even just training with a Scottish prem club. Yeah, but

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Speaker 3: you know, I'm super happy being back now and get

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Speaker 3: in some minutes, so I'm really enjoying my football just now.

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Speaker 2: Was it a pretty easy yes? When Auckland f C

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Speaker 2: knocked on your door?

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Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah, of course. You know the owner Bill, He's

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Speaker 3: come out and sadness at ambitions for the club. You know, well,

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Speaker 3: we really want to do well this year, and yeah,

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Speaker 3: I just wanted to be a part of it.

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Speaker 2: And of course your debuted for the All Whites at

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Speaker 2: the start of last year picked up three caps. How

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Speaker 2: ambitious are you to add to those and to get

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Speaker 2: back in an All White shit.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a that's a massive goal for me and

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Speaker 3: obviously I just need to be playing, so I just

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Speaker 3: need to take my chance when I'm on the field

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Speaker 3: and hopefully that catches the eye of Bays and he

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Speaker 3: brings me back in.

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Speaker 2: We're bit gutted you didn't get on in the derby

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Speaker 2: against the Phoenix and in the game and Mount Smart

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Speaker 2: a couple of weeks ago.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, one hundred. I was good. You know, I

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Speaker 3: really wanted to play that game. But you know, at

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Speaker 3: the end of the day we won, so you know,

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Speaker 3: I'm stalked. I'm stoked. We got three points.

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Speaker 2: In Western United this afternoon. They're coming into a bit

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Speaker 2: of form themselves. They put four past Sydney FC last

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Speaker 2: weekend and a four to three win. How are where

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Speaker 2: are you of the attacking three that they'll pose you

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Speaker 2: this afternoon.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, obviously they had a good result last weekend. You know,

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Speaker 3: Western they're very good football inside. They've got a lot

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Speaker 3: of threats up top, so it's going to be a

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Speaker 3: very tough game, but you know, we we've analyzed how

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Speaker 3: we can break down their weaknesses and hopefully, yeah, we

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Speaker 3: get the three points today.

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Speaker 2: One of the features of games at Mount Smart has

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Speaker 2: been the crowds just absolutely terrific, including the port of course,

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Speaker 2: your active active support. How much of a boost do

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Speaker 2: do big crowds like that give you?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, they're they're massive for us. You know, the port

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Speaker 3: have been amazing, and not only the port, all the

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Speaker 3: other fans that turn up every weekend. They've been huge

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Speaker 3: for us. You know. I was actually speaking to Dan

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Speaker 3: all the other day and we're saying it's weird because

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Speaker 3: we genuinely want to do well because we see how

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Speaker 3: proud it makes Auckland is seen us do well. So

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Speaker 3: you know, yeah, they're huge for us.

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Speaker 2: Amazing And this is your fiftieth A League game this afternoon,

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Speaker 2: forty seven of those we Wellington. This will be your

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Speaker 2: third with Auckland FC. Is that a meaningful milestone? Is

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Speaker 2: that something that means something anything to you?

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Speaker 3: I mean, Sha, I didn't know that until you just

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Speaker 3: told me Dan. Yeah, but yeah, it's always good to

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Speaker 3: rack up the games in fashional football, so yeah, I'm

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Speaker 3: pretty happy that.

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Speaker 2: Well, may there be many more. All the best this

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Speaker 2: afternoon against Western United. Kellen, thanks for taking the time

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Speaker 2: for a chat.

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Speaker 3: Sweet thank you, No.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, Kellen, Kellen Elliott. They're out of Auckland FC.

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Speaker 2: Five o'clock kick off this afternoon. Western United are the opponents,

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Speaker 2: and in their innovative fashion, Auckland f C have trucked

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Speaker 2: in one hundred tons of sand in to Go Media Stadium.

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Speaker 2: They put it at the northern end. They've created New

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Speaker 2: Zealand's biggest inland beach for the next three home games.

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Speaker 2: I've seen a couple of photos of it and looking

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Speaker 2: very beachy there at Mount Smart Go Media this afternoon.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, just another way to add a little bit

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Speaker 2: of extra to the to the matchday experience. So well

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Speaker 2: done to the team at Auckland FC for another marketing initiative.

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Speaker 2: I believe there are still tickets available, In fact, I

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Speaker 2: know that there are, So if you're at a bit

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Speaker 2: of a loose end in the Auckland area and you

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Speaker 2: want to find out what all the fuss is about,

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Speaker 2: get along. It's it's a terrific matchday experience and you

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Speaker 2: could even get down here and play in the sand

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Speaker 2: if that is something that takes your fancy.

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Speaker 1: For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, Listen live

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Speaker 1: to news talks b weekends from midday, or follow the

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Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio