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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 dB.

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Speaker 2: There's an International Rugby League doubleheader at go Media Stadium today.

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Speaker 2: The Pacific Championships are underway. The Kiwi Ferns play some

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Speaker 2: more in the women's match at three point thirty five,

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Speaker 2: followed by the Kiwi's against the sumn men from six

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Speaker 2: Newcastle Knights and Kiwi's utility Phoenix Crossland is with US Phoenix.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for your time. You got your first taste of

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Speaker 2: the Kiwi's environment last year. So how keen were you

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Speaker 2: to get back with the national side in twenty twenty five.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a big goal. I wanted to get

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Speaker 3: back here this year and yeah, I was sort of

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Speaker 3: towards the backhead of the regular season in the NRO

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Speaker 3: was something I was thinking about quite a lot. So

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Speaker 3: to get the core from States and be back in

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Speaker 3: camp and displaced with these boys is yeah pretty special.

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Speaker 2: How much did wearing the Kiwi's jersey mean to you

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Speaker 2: when you debuted a year ago.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it was one of the highlights of my life.

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Speaker 3: From Yeah, I spoke about a lot last year. How

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Speaker 3: much my family, you know, I really love saying that

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Speaker 3: and how much I really love doing it. So I

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Speaker 3: felt really good, and not just my debut, but all

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Speaker 3: three games I played last year. We're pretty special and

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Speaker 3: fingers crossed to get to do it again this year.

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Speaker 2: You turned down, of course, you know, the chance to

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Speaker 2: play for Australia year and that would mean state of

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Speaker 2: origin possibilities as well. By declaring your allegiance to New

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Speaker 2: Zealand was the only, any way a difficult decision for

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Speaker 2: you to make.

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Speaker 3: I'm not really I was sort of a thing I

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Speaker 3: didn't really think about until I started my name started

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Speaker 3: getting sort of throwing around to represent New Zealand, and

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Speaker 3: you know, it was sort of as soon as the

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Speaker 3: opportunity came up, I took with both hands. And you know,

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Speaker 3: I don't think my family would have wanted it any

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Speaker 3: other way, and me as well. So you know, being

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Speaker 3: in this space is really special. I know I made

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Speaker 3: the right choice.

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Speaker 4: And yeah, it.

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Speaker 3: Means not being able to play, going down that other

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Speaker 3: path of origin and stuff. You know, it doesn't pay

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Speaker 3: anyone beer because I love being here and this is you.

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Speaker 4: Know, is it for me?

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Speaker 2: Tell us about your family ties with New Zealand and

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Speaker 2: just how strong they are.

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Speaker 3: Oh, Yeah, so I'm not too familiar with my dad's

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Speaker 3: live they are from New Zealand. I'm pretty sure they're

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Speaker 3: from Hamilton area. And then you know, more connected to

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Speaker 3: my mom's side and there you know Wellington and the

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Speaker 3: West Coast, Greymouth and you know all down there, so

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Speaker 3: both sides of New Zealand, but you know, mum's side

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Speaker 3: is probably the side that I connect with more. And yeah,

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Speaker 3: they're they're West Coast, they're Rugula League born and bred

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Speaker 3: down there, so it was yeah, they're to see me here.

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Speaker 2: Tell us about the Kiwis environment. What was it like

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Speaker 2: to come into last year and does it now have

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Speaker 2: a bit of a feeling of familiarity about it for

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Speaker 2: you now that you've you've been there before.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, last year was pretty pretty scared.

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Speaker 3: I didn't really know any of the boys and other

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Speaker 3: than versing them, you know, throughout the year. But it's honestly,

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Speaker 3: it was like it was so easy that did so

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Speaker 3: well to meet and everyone and you know the space

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Speaker 3: that the least as it created here and this year's

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Speaker 3: probably been a bit easier. And you know, I'm familiar

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Speaker 3: with all the boys and the way we want to

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Speaker 3: play in the coaches and stuff. So it was just

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Speaker 3: this year was probably more a bit more relaxed and excited,

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Speaker 3: I guess, to come back and not have those sort

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Speaker 3: of you know, first time meeting everyone nerves. But you

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Speaker 3: still get a little few butterflies when you first come

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Speaker 3: in because now it's a big occasion for the country

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Speaker 3: and this team. So but at the end of the day,

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Speaker 3: it's it's really special.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, what is the special dynamic around a national team?

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Speaker 2: I mean, you've been part of elite rugby league teams

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Speaker 2: and I want to talk about Newcastle in the moment,

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Speaker 2: but is it a different kind of dynamic when you

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Speaker 2: get together with a national team.

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Speaker 4: It is.

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Speaker 3: I guess it's just like it's just such an elite environment,

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Speaker 3: like you just got the best of the best from

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Speaker 3: all the different clubs and you look around at some

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Speaker 3: of the players that you're eating dinner with and then taking.

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Speaker 4: The field with. It's it's it's pretty crazy.

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Speaker 3: Obviously only my second year, so I still pinch myself

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Speaker 3: to you know, lace up the birds with fish and

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Speaker 3: you know, here and find this year.

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Speaker 4: So it is, it is, It is pretty cool.

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Speaker 3: And then I guess when you go back to Clubland,

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Speaker 3: you're expected to be more of a leader, So I

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Speaker 3: guess that's sort of in those areas that're sort of different.

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Speaker 3: But I guess, yeah, there's probably a bit more a

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Speaker 3: bit there's probably more eyes on you at this level

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Speaker 3: and maybe a little bit more expectation. But you know,

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Speaker 3: it's all good, and it's it's all it's all privilege.

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Speaker 2: You have been a first grade regular for the Newcastle

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Speaker 2: Knights now for well the best part of the last

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Speaker 2: four seasons. Where have the biggest areas of growth come

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Speaker 2: in your game?

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Speaker 4: I guess like just leadership.

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Speaker 3: I've always sort of been started pretty young playing at

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Speaker 3: the you know that level, and it was had the start,

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Speaker 3: it was pretty scary. But I guess when you're you know,

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Speaker 3: you're in these environments and you go back to clubland

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Speaker 3: and you've got those younger boys that are looking for guidance,

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Speaker 3: and you know, leadership, it's probably one of the biggest

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Speaker 3: things that you know, I've taken and taken back to Newcastle,

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Speaker 3: which is which is really cool. So I'd say my

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Speaker 3: leadership and just you know a little just to pick

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Speaker 3: up little things on preparation off some of the boys

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Speaker 3: and you using your own game. But yeah, for me,

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Speaker 3: it's just you know, going back to clubland and then

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Speaker 3: helping those younger boys and everyone.

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Speaker 4: To be honest, it's yeah, leadership definitely.

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Speaker 2: Twenty twenty five was a challenging year for Newcastle. How

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Speaker 2: will you look to put that behind you when you

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Speaker 2: reassemble for pre season?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it was pretty tough. The last sort of six

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Speaker 3: weeks was yeah, not ideal for the club and for

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Speaker 3: the town, and but I guess I don't know, it's

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Speaker 3: sort of it's hopefully pretty easy to forget about that

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Speaker 3: because it you know, as a club, it's rock bottom

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Speaker 3: and you can't really get much worse. So hopefully just

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Speaker 3: just flush it down until we've got a new coaching

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Speaker 3: staff coming in a lot of turnover and players, so

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Speaker 3: there's going to be a lot of a lot of

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Speaker 3: fresh faces and a lot of fresh ideas. So I'm

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Speaker 3: really excited to get back there after this and yeah,

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Speaker 3: recess and and go again because we know we can

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Speaker 3: win games. We've got to, you know, with one baut

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Speaker 3: you I've had, so yeah, flush it down toil and

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Speaker 3: go again.

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Speaker 2: And back to the Kiwi's Obviously you're a utility. You've

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Speaker 2: got you know a lot of strings to your bow.

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Speaker 2: What do you think your best role to play with

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Speaker 2: the Keyweezers.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know, it's sort of You've got Jamie

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Speaker 3: Marshall King here who's an elite nine. So yeah, I

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Speaker 3: can cover a lot of positions, so I'll be staked anywhere.

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Speaker 3: But you know, forteen is probably you know where I

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Speaker 3: see myself in this team, and it's it's unreal. I

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Speaker 3: just love to help the team out wherever I can,

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Speaker 3: and then you're obviously nine for you my third position,

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Speaker 3: so I get to learn a lot from Jazz and

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Speaker 3: you know, picking things up and take up back to Newcastle.

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Speaker 3: But yeah, in this team, I think it's probably probably

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Speaker 3: that forteen if I become in there so and it's

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Speaker 3: a it's a privilege to put on the jersey no

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Speaker 3: matter what number.

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Speaker 2: So I'm excited and somemo I followed by Tonga. Of course.

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Speaker 2: I guess you don't take anybody lightly, do you. You

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Speaker 2: might think in the past perhaps that that the Island

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Speaker 2: Nations are perhaps not as as formidable proposition, but I

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Speaker 2: guess last year probably showed you that no matter who

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Speaker 2: you play, you've got to turn up right.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly that tim of game last year was a

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Speaker 3: big smack in the face and I think you know

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Speaker 3: at highlighted how much stronger those you know, those teams

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Speaker 3: are getting. And it's exciting for the International Rugby League.

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Speaker 3: It's exciting for them, it's exciting for us because you know,

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Speaker 3: other than I guess in the in the past it

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Speaker 3: was sort of three teams. It was England, Australia and

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Speaker 3: New Zealand, and now it's you know, there's more teams

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Speaker 3: competing and winning games.

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Speaker 4: So it's really exciting.

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Speaker 3: I'm real happy to be and privileged to be first

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Speaker 3: and those sort of teams and making international foot growth

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Speaker 3: because you know, this is our sort of this is

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Speaker 3: our peak and you know, I'm proud of the boys

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Speaker 3: are playing every team, so that's good.

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Speaker 2: Must be quite nice to play Mount Smart too, as

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Speaker 2: a home player, rather than getting there and having to

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Speaker 2: face the Warriors and their fans.

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Speaker 4: Oh, I still feel like an away game.

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Speaker 3: And when your first tongue of there's just red, that's

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Speaker 3: good for everything. It's it's yeah, it's special just to yeah,

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Speaker 3: I guess to play in New Zealand and yeah, home,

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Speaker 3: so it's pretty cool.

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Speaker 2: A lot of excitement about these upcoming games Phoenix. Thanks

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Speaker 2: so much for joining Smart. I hope they go really

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Speaker 2: well for you and appreciate you taking the time today.

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Speaker 1: For more from Weekends 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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Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio