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

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Speaker 1: from News Talks by.

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Speaker 2: Let's get you inside the Plane Group now defender Dan

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Speaker 2: hallers with us. Dan, thanks for taking time. Do you

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Speaker 2: still feel the same hunger as you did last season

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Speaker 2: when everything about Auckland def C was fresh and new?

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Speaker 3: Of course, of course thanks for having me Piney. I

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Speaker 3: think you know in this situation even more so. Obviously

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Speaker 3: last year we did great things being minor premiers, but

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Speaker 3: we believe as a team we fell short and we

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Speaker 3: want to raptify that this year. So you know, we're

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Speaker 3: buzzing for the season to start and we can't wait

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Speaker 3: to be out there.

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Speaker 2: You've got some experience of this type. You won the

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Speaker 2: Grand Final what the Mariners in twenty twenty two to

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Speaker 2: twenty three, and then back that up with an even

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Speaker 2: more successful season the following campaign. So what were the

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Speaker 2: keys to following one excellent season with another one?

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Speaker 4: Good question?

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Speaker 3: I think for me, obviously, I believe a lot of

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Speaker 3: team camaraderie is a huge point of improving each year

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Speaker 3: and just sticking together and a hardworking, humble team I

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Speaker 3: think gets a lot of good results. So that's definitely

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Speaker 3: something we'll try to implement and obviously there's a little

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Speaker 3: bit of luck involved, but a lot of hard work too.

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Speaker 2: Your last league game was quite some time ago. I

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Speaker 2: know you've had Australia Cup and preseason games in the meantime,

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Speaker 2: but how do you best navigate this very long a

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Speaker 2: league off season.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, obviously the Australian Football Leagues has like the world's

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Speaker 3: longest preseason, so after doing a couple I'm quite conditioned

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Speaker 3: to them now, so but no, for sure, it's all

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Speaker 3: about just you know, not building up, building it up,

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Speaker 3: because obviously it's a long season as well. But with

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Speaker 3: a long preseason you have plenty of time to get

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Speaker 3: match fits. So I think here at Auckland we did

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Speaker 3: it very well. We got a lot of preseason games

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Speaker 3: in and just got to you know, try different combinations

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Speaker 3: and work on what the coach wants and hopefully come

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Speaker 3: Saturday that's all there to see.

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Speaker 2: And last season, of course you forged such a cohesive

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Speaker 2: central defere it's a partnership with Nanda Pinnaker. He'll miss

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Speaker 2: the first month or so of the season as he

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Speaker 2: puts the final touches on his recovery from his injury.

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Speaker 2: How strange Is it going to be they're looking out

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Speaker 2: to your left and not seeing Nanda Pinneker there.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, for sure.

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Speaker 3: Obviously Nando is a great player and a great person,

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Speaker 3: so I've really enjoyed my time playing next to him

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Speaker 3: and can't wait for when he's back.

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Speaker 4: Out on the pitch.

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Speaker 3: But yeah, it's going to Obviously you make a good

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Speaker 3: connection with.

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Speaker 4: Your center back partner.

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Speaker 3: But luckily at Auckland f you know we have great

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Speaker 3: depth and whoever takes a field on Saturday, I'm sure

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Speaker 3: we'll do Auckland proud.

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Speaker 2: And you talk about connections. A new goalkeeper behind you

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Speaker 2: as well, Alex Paulson has moved on a course and

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Speaker 2: we know how integral he was to your success last season.

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Speaker 2: So how do you go about building good a good

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Speaker 2: relationship with new arrival Olie Sale and also Michael Vaud

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Speaker 2: who didn't get to play last season.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I think just in training.

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Speaker 3: You know, you're training with these boys every day, partnership

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Speaker 3: start to form. You understand play strengths and weaknesses and

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Speaker 3: how you as a team member can help them in

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Speaker 3: their own football journey.

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Speaker 4: So I think just with time.

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Speaker 3: And a lot of training and week in, week out,

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Speaker 3: you get to understand everybody, and yeah, hopefully come Saturday

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Speaker 3: that'll be able to show again how.

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Speaker 2: Much you're looking forward to getting a crack at Melbourne

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Speaker 2: Victory nice and early this season, given the fact that

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Speaker 2: they were the team that denied you entry into the

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Speaker 2: Grand Final last season.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, super excited.

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Speaker 3: I think you know, as you said, it's the longest

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Speaker 3: preseason ever, so you just want to get out there.

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Speaker 4: And play again.

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Speaker 3: But to be able to reverse Melbourne Victory straight aways.

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Speaker 3: You know, you want to play the best teams and

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Speaker 3: I'm sure Melbourn Victory are going to be a strong

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Speaker 3: team this year, so can't wait to go tot to

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Speaker 3: toe with them and see how we end up.

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Speaker 2: What about personally, Dan, are there still areas you feel

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Speaker 2: that our growth theory is in your own game personally?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, definitely.

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Speaker 3: I think for me personally, I've always had a growth

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Speaker 3: mindset and I feel like I still have lots of

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Speaker 3: things to learn personally for me this year, you know,

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Speaker 3: I want to try and be more of that leader

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Speaker 3: role and help guide my team and just be a

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Speaker 3: good team member. And obviously there's strengthen off the ball.

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Speaker 3: On the ball that I can definitely try and improve

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Speaker 3: on as the season progresses and.

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Speaker 2: As far as the team is concerned. While you were

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Speaker 2: obviously well versed with the vagaries of the A League,

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Speaker 2: there were a number of players who hadn't played a

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Speaker 2: league before. Do you think as a team there have

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Speaker 2: been some good lessons to take from your first season

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Speaker 2: in the competition?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely, I think especially last year. Obviously a lot

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Speaker 3: of the boys hadn't hadn't played in the league before,

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Speaker 3: so coming into a second year, most players, if not all,

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Speaker 3: have had a taste of a league football, and they know,

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Speaker 3: you know, it's not just it's not just the intensity

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Speaker 3: of the matches. You know, you've got to take into

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Speaker 3: consideration things like the weather, the temperature and stuff like that.

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Speaker 3: So I feel like, off with one year under the belt,

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Speaker 3: the second year, it's only going to go up.

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Speaker 2: And how good are you? And this docco by the way,

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Speaker 2: the star of the.

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Speaker 3: Show, Yeah, said to me, you know, football doesn't work

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Speaker 3: out maybe Hollywood or stuff out it.

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Speaker 2: Love it it is. It has been a really cool

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Speaker 2: little thing to sort of get us through. But the

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Speaker 2: last bit of the off season hasn't it. Do you

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Speaker 2: know if the cameras are following you for season two.

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Speaker 2: Has that been confirmed yet or not.

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Speaker 3: I'm not sure if it's been confirmed, but I know

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Speaker 3: they're definitely in talks to see if season two can

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Speaker 3: get up and running.

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Speaker 4: But I guess it was just we'll see with.

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Speaker 2: Time, indeed, and just to finish obviously in a way

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Speaker 2: game to start, but then back home. We know just

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Speaker 2: how big that crowd was last season in terms of

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Speaker 2: it's it's impact on you guys and how they they

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Speaker 2: you know, were such a great support to you. How

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Speaker 2: much looking forward to seeing the port back again and

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Speaker 2: those big crowds at EPGO.

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Speaker 4: Media, Oh absolutely buzzing. I think I was.

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Speaker 3: You know, not a single person in the team would

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Speaker 3: expect to see how big the port really did turn

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Speaker 3: out until that first game against Brisbane last year. So

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Speaker 3: you know, we just can't wait to get out there

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Speaker 3: again and feel feel their twelfth man behind us as

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Speaker 3: we hopefully go for the three point against Wanderer's first

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Speaker 3: time game.

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Speaker 2: Good on you mate, thanks indeed, Dan, appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: Dan Hall central defender or one of the central defenders

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Speaker 2: in Auckland FC's squad again this year, a huge part

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Speaker 2: of their success last season and said to be the

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Speaker 2: same again at this time around. Auckland FC open their

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Speaker 2: A League campaign tonight in Melbourne Amy Park. They take

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Speaker 2: on Melbourne Victory from nine to thirty five.

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

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Speaker 1: to News Talk zed B weekends from midday or follow

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