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

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Speaker 1: from Newstalk there'd be.

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Speaker 2: Let's get you inside the Wellington Phoenix camp ahead of

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Speaker 2: the season up in the night against Berth Glory. Goalkeeper

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Speaker 2: Josh Olawaimi is with us. Josh, thanks for chatting mate.

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Speaker 2: How ready does the team feel for the new campaign.

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Speaker 3: The team's in a really good place. We've had a

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Speaker 3: strong preseason. Everybody's sharp and there's a good energy around

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Speaker 3: the group. So we're focused for the season and thankfully

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Speaker 3: it's been we've had a lot of fixtures, so it

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Speaker 3: should should help us in the season.

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Speaker 2: As you prepare for the season ahead, have you talked

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Speaker 2: much about last season or has that kind of been

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Speaker 2: left in the rearview mirror.

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Speaker 3: One hundred Early on in preseason, we've spoken about last

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Speaker 3: season and we've reflected on it and learned from it

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Speaker 3: and now at this point the season's about to start,

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Speaker 3: so we're looking to move forward in the rest.

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Speaker 2: How do you reflect personally on what was your first

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Speaker 2: season in the A League?

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Speaker 3: For me, it was a great experience. You know, it's

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Speaker 3: all part of the journey. You're learning new things as

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Speaker 3: you go along, you know, It's been a season of

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Speaker 3: growth and learning for me personally, you know, adapting to

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Speaker 3: the travel, to the to the different style of the

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Speaker 3: league as well has been very good for my development

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Speaker 3: as well. So now going into this season, I just

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Speaker 3: learned from learned from the things of last season.

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Speaker 2: Do you sort of feel bitter equipped after a season

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Speaker 2: this I guess there'll be fewer surprise as you're you know,

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Speaker 2: you will have been to all of these grounds before,

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Speaker 2: played all of these teams before, albeit some of them

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Speaker 2: have changed personnel. Do you feel as though you're bitter

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Speaker 2: equipped the second time around?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely, you know, you know what to expect sort

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Speaker 3: of thing. Although different seasons bring different challenges, you know,

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Speaker 3: no seasons the exact same, but it definitely it definitely

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Speaker 3: plays at a part, huge part in the in the

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Speaker 3: familiarity with how the league does. So.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so, Chief Egian Calotliana, your head coach, has signaled

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Speaker 2: a change of formation this year, has been very open

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Speaker 2: about it. You're going to play a back three. How

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Speaker 2: does that change things for you, Josh? From a goalkeeper's

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Speaker 2: point of view, having a having a back three in

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Speaker 2: front of you rather than a back four in front.

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Speaker 3: Of you, Yeah, it changes a few things. You know,

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Speaker 3: you have to adapt a bat three, like the angles

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Speaker 3: and the supporting angles that you would give to your

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Speaker 3: center backs, the way you communicate as well, you know,

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Speaker 3: some tactical changes, the things that it helps, and there

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Speaker 3: are things that you have to stay a bit more

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Speaker 3: alert for, you know, in a back three. So it

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Speaker 3: doesn't do too much, but it changes a little bit.

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Speaker 2: And I presume also it'll be from what I've heard,

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Speaker 2: it'll be quite a high line that you play. So

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Speaker 2: are you being asked to play it from the back

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Speaker 2: as regularly as you did last season, but also be

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Speaker 2: a bit of a sweeper keeper on occasion?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely, Especially in this modern game. It's hard for

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Speaker 3: a lot of keepers to be able to do those things.

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Speaker 3: You know. It's just about recognizing the moments to play

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Speaker 3: out from the back and recognizing the moments to go along,

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Speaker 3: you know. So that's what we plan to do this season,

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Speaker 3: Just play the right moment in the in the game

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Speaker 3: and produce the right result.

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Speaker 2: How important is it to start well to you know,

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Speaker 2: to get a win or two on the board nice

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Speaker 2: and early in the season.

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Speaker 3: A strong start is really important. It builds momentum, builds belief,

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Speaker 3: it sets the stands early. Every point matters in the league,

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Speaker 3: so we want to come out focused and organize and

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Speaker 3: ready to perform from day one. But at the same time,

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Speaker 3: it's a very long season. So if we're doing great,

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Speaker 3: we have to keep it going. If we're not, then

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Speaker 3: we have to build upon that.

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Speaker 2: And I know you're only going one game at a

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Speaker 2: time and tonight's game against Perth Glory is your immediate focus.

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Speaker 2: But how motivated is the team to have some success

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Speaker 2: in the derby's against Aukland FC this season?

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Speaker 3: Extremely those games and locked us and the fans, you know,

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Speaker 3: so we plan to bring back pride and make a

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Speaker 3: statement for women.

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Speaker 2: And something I noticed about you last season, Josh, after games,

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Speaker 2: it didn't matter win, loss, draw, whether things had gone well,

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Speaker 2: whether things hadn't gone well, you always took the time

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Speaker 2: after the game to make the fans, to sign some autographs,

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Speaker 2: to get a selfie. It would have been easy for

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Speaker 2: you to not do that after a loss, for example,

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Speaker 2: go down the tunnel and just get out of there.

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Speaker 2: What is it that motivates you to make sure that

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Speaker 2: you still connect with the fans, regardless.

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Speaker 3: The fans make the game to be honest, without the

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Speaker 3: fans we're seen in COVID, you know, it brings the

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Speaker 3: atmosphere out. If we don't have the fans, the fans

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Speaker 3: make the game, you know. And I feel like as players,

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Speaker 3: we owe it to every single fan, you know, to

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Speaker 3: keep us standards fair and to be model professionals, and

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Speaker 3: also to connected with them because we we grew up

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Speaker 3: and are fans and wants worse fans as well, you know.

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Speaker 3: So that's just the way I am and the way

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Speaker 3: I see things.

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Speaker 2: The other thing about playing the A League is the long,

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Speaker 2: the long off season. It spent about five months since

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Speaker 2: you're last playing the game. You must be looking forward

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Speaker 2: actual getting out there and playing a proper game, are

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Speaker 2: you ah?

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Speaker 3: I'm itching. I'm itching. This is the longest preseason I've

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Speaker 3: ever had in my life.

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Speaker 2: Well, it is all over. It is all over. The

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Speaker 2: new season is finally here, Josh. Thanks for taking the

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Speaker 2: time for it yet to us made all the best

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Speaker 2: in game one tonight. Look forward to catching up throughout

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Speaker 2: the season.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, paying It's a pleasure to be here now.

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Speaker 2: It's good to have you on the show, Josh. Thanks

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Speaker 2: and day Josh Holloway me goalkeeper for the Phoenix eleven

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Speaker 2: forty five tonight against Perth Glory.

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Speaker 1: For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Pine, listen live

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Speaker 1: to news talks it'd be weekends from midday, or follow

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