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

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Speaker 1: from Newstalks.

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Speaker 2: A be loive Strata joins us. Thanks for taking our call,

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Speaker 2: LOWI why do you think Auckland FC have been so

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Speaker 2: successful this season?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I've thought about it.

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Speaker 4: I think the main so obviously, there is a lot

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Speaker 4: of quality in the team. Without quality, it's it's not

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Speaker 4: possible to reach anything. But second of all, I think

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Speaker 4: the way we defend as a as a team. I

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Speaker 4: think this is what what makes us better than other

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Speaker 4: teams because we obviously we will score goals, but I

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Speaker 4: think we have the best defense in the in the

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Speaker 4: league statistic wise. But it's not just the defenders, it's

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Speaker 4: also mediealds and and even strikers.

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Speaker 3: The way they they help the team out.

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Speaker 4: I think this is quite extraordinary because if you look

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Speaker 4: at other teams, I think not not the not eleven

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Speaker 4: players on the pitch really work for each other, and

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Speaker 4: I think this has been the main difference between us

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Speaker 4: and other teams. I think why have we been successful?

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Speaker 2: I remember your coach Steve Carriker saying that when you

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Speaker 2: first spoke to him, you told him that you love

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Speaker 2: to defend. It's not everybody's cap of tea, but you

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Speaker 2: love defending in those midfield spaces. So do you take

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Speaker 2: a sense of personal pride for your part in the

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Speaker 2: solid defense of the team this season?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I think I'd try to do my job as

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Speaker 4: good as possible. Like you said, I told Steve before

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Speaker 4: I came here what he can expect from me and

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Speaker 4: what I like to do on the pitch, and I

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Speaker 4: tried to do as good as possible. And I must

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Speaker 4: say I'm quite satisfied with my season so far, but

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Speaker 4: we still have.

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Speaker 3: To finish it off at a quity good note.

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Speaker 2: So and last week, of course, you scored a goal

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Speaker 2: and assisted another one against Melbourne Victory and the two

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Speaker 2: nil went over there. But a superb all round performance

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Speaker 2: from you as well, Louis. I know you probably don't

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Speaker 2: want to talk about yourself too much, but was that

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Speaker 2: one of your best games for AUKLANDFCA this season.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I felt pretty good in that game.

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Speaker 4: But it's always when when you get some statistics, when

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Speaker 4: you have a goal and an assist, all of a sudden,

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Speaker 4: your performance is.

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Speaker 3: Like is way better than it than it actually was.

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Speaker 4: I think I was satisfied with the performance but I,

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Speaker 4: for example, I had a better feeling the week before.

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Speaker 4: So sometimes like your your own personal feeling on the pitch,

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Speaker 4: it's maybe not how people perceive the game when they

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Speaker 4: were watching. But obviously I felt I felt good and

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Speaker 4: it was nice to get the goal. And that's also

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Speaker 4: what what what the support is and what everyone remembers,

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Speaker 4: so that's that's good.

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Speaker 2: When you first agreed to come to AUCKLANDFC, what were

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Speaker 2: your expectations before you arrived.

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Speaker 4: To be fair, I did not really know what to

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Speaker 4: expect because there was so many question marks. I didn't

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Speaker 4: know how the what the level of the league was,

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Speaker 4: how our new team was, how we were going to

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Speaker 4: perform the first year. We we obviously most of us

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Speaker 4: didn't know each other. We we hadn't played with each

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Speaker 4: other yet, so there was a lot of uncertainty. And

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Speaker 4: I think I just came with an open mind and

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Speaker 4: I wanted to be I want to personally, I just

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Speaker 4: wanted to prove myself to to to all the people

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Speaker 4: gave me.

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Speaker 3: The confidence to to sign here.

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Speaker 4: But it was yeah, I didn't really have like a

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Speaker 4: goal in mind for what I wanted to achieve the season.

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Speaker 4: I just wanted to play every game, and and I

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Speaker 4: wanted to be a reliable player for the team.

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Speaker 3: That was my main main objective.

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Speaker 2: How long after you arrived then did you realize that

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Speaker 2: this team was a good team and that it could

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Speaker 2: actually do something pretty special in this first season.

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Speaker 4: I think to be fair, I noticed straight away that

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Speaker 4: we had we had called in the team, but especially

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Speaker 4: the preseason games. We when I arrived at the same

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Speaker 4: time as a Gamin in Philippe and Nada still had

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Speaker 4: to come so we were not like our full strength

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Speaker 4: yet and we still we still also physically weren't at

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Speaker 4: our best. So for me, I think after our first

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Speaker 4: first two or three official games, then then I started

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Speaker 4: to realize, okay, we might we might be able to

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Speaker 4: do something this season. But I think for for me

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Speaker 4: and for the team, those first victories were really important

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Speaker 4: to to get the self believe up and to give

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Speaker 4: us a boost and what we could have achieved, what

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Speaker 4: we could achieve this season.

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Speaker 2: And what about the standard of the football in the

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Speaker 2: I League? Louis was that what do you expected? What

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Speaker 2: do you what do you make of the standard in

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Speaker 2: the I League?

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Speaker 4: Like I said, I didn't know what to expect, but

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Speaker 4: I must say it's it's a very good league, a

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Speaker 4: very competitive league, A lot of talent in the league

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Speaker 4: as well.

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Speaker 3: I think.

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Speaker 4: I think also that that that I think on on

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Speaker 4: a global skill, I think the A League is not

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Speaker 4: valued as it should. I think there are very very

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Speaker 4: good players in this league, and the way I think

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Speaker 4: as a neutral fan, I think it's also nice to

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Speaker 4: watch the Gays because there was so much, so much goals,

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Speaker 4: and it's it's open place, so I didn't know what

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Speaker 4: to expect, but I didn't expect this, that's for sure.

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Speaker 4: It's it's been a very good experience, I must say.

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Speaker 2: And what about the travel, because I know when you

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Speaker 2: were based in Europe and playing over there, you wouldn't

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Speaker 2: have had to travel the distances you do here for

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Speaker 2: away games. You know, trains Tasman across to Australia every

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Speaker 2: other week. How have you adjusted to the extra travel

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Speaker 2: required down here.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, for me, especially in the beginning, it was it

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Speaker 4: was a bit hard for me because, like you said,

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Speaker 4: like the longest trip I did in Belgium was two

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Speaker 4: hours with the bus, and in my mind that was

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Speaker 4: already a long trip. So we went to Perth or

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Speaker 4: even the first time we went to Sydney, and for me,

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Speaker 4: it was I needed. It was quite an adaptation for

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Speaker 4: me because especially the flying for me, it takes takes

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Speaker 4: a bit of energy out of me. But yeah, we

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Speaker 4: we always go a little bit on beforehand. We we

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Speaker 4: have a lot of we tried. Let's say our physical coach.

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Speaker 4: He wants to create the best circumstances. So yeah, that

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Speaker 4: all helps. But in the end, it's it's tricky and

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Speaker 4: you have to you have to be mindful, like how

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Speaker 4: you travel, trying to get up in the plane. Also

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Speaker 4: you have to get used to sleeping in a hotel

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Speaker 4: so much away from home. So it's all little factors.

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Speaker 4: But now I'm quite used to it. But yeah, that

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Speaker 4: was that was quite often I had to.

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Speaker 3: Adapt to that. Yeah, I wasn't. I wasn't ready in

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Speaker 3: the beginning, let's.

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Speaker 2: Say, and before last weekend, when of course you beat

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Speaker 2: Melbourne victory, you had drawn five of the previous six games,

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Speaker 2: and three of those were at home after holding the lead.

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Speaker 2: So was that becoming in any way frustrating that you

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Speaker 2: couldn't convert some of those draws, particularly at home, into wins.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think.

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Speaker 4: I think Also you could say, like in the beginning

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Speaker 4: of the season, look was a little bit on our side,

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Speaker 4: and I think at that period luck wasn't. There were

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Speaker 4: a few games I think we always should have won.

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Speaker 4: They also it's always easy afterwards. But I think also

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Speaker 4: I remember, like the Adelade game, like some referee decisions

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Speaker 4: that were not in our favor. So I think it

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Speaker 4: was multiple factors and I'm.

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Speaker 3: Not quite sure what it was why we drew so much.

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Speaker 4: But I felt that we should have won at least

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Speaker 4: a few of those games. But in the end, it's

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Speaker 4: football and you need that bit of luck and sometimes

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Speaker 4: you have it and sometimes you don't. So yeah, it's

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Speaker 4: it's part of the game, all right.

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Speaker 2: Hey, Louis, thanks for taking the time today. DEVI chat

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Speaker 2: to us. Enjoy yourself this afternoon at what will be

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Speaker 2: a great occasion to go media stadium. Louisvistrata, Belgian midfield

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Speaker 2: of Auckland. Have seen now in goal for Perth a

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Speaker 2: familiar face, all white goalkeeper Ollie Style as back in

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Speaker 2: as hometown and he joins us, how does it feel

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Speaker 2: to be back in your hometown Onie for a game

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Speaker 2: of football, even though you are on the opposition side.

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Speaker 5: It's great, mate, Obviously I love playing at home in

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Speaker 5: Auckland in front of friends and family, and obviously an

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Speaker 5: exciting time for myself first taste of orcan f C.

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Speaker 6: And nowt's smart and modern occasion.

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Speaker 5: Because obviously it's going to be a big crowd and

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Speaker 5: it's nice to kind of tap into what they're feeling

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Speaker 5: this year and all that excitement.

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Speaker 6: So I'm really looking forward to this evening.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely a big occasion coming, as I say, for the

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Speaker 2: home side. But how do you approach it as the visitors,

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Speaker 2: as you try to spoil their party?

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Speaker 5: Yeah, look, obviously without coming across as too much of

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Speaker 5: a villain. I don't want people to dislike me too much.

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Speaker 5: We are here to spoil the party. And you know,

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Speaker 5: from my perspective as a usual football advocate, as an

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Speaker 5: orcand boy, as a friend of.

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Speaker 6: Many of the Orkland boys.

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Speaker 5: There, there's so much I mean, it's really excited about

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Speaker 5: what they're doing and I'm so proud of them, and

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Speaker 5: you know, it's easy. It's slightly easier for me to

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Speaker 5: say because we're not at the end of the table

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Speaker 5: competing with them, but I am extremely happy for them.

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Speaker 6: But yeah, like I said, we've got a job to do.

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Speaker 5: And you know, we got one over one over them

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Speaker 5: at home earlier in the season, and for us, we've

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Speaker 5: got our own ambitions, so yeah, look we're here to

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Speaker 5: spoil the party.

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Speaker 2: Just on the game where you beat them over in

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Speaker 2: Western Australia. There only lost two games all year, as

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Speaker 2: you'll know, only one away and that was to you guys.

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Speaker 2: Can you take anything from that game that might be

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Speaker 2: useful today.

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Speaker 6: Absolutely, you know that they are.

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Speaker 5: A really big side, a very physical side, and looking

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Speaker 5: back on it, probably it was one of the few

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Speaker 5: games this season where we really fronted up physically with energy.

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Speaker 5: Obviously at home we're very fortunate even during tough circumstances

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Speaker 5: we get a really good following and HbF Park is

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Speaker 5: a fantastic atmosphere, and yeah, we.

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Speaker 6: Just really fronted up physically.

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Speaker 5: We matched everything there through it us We almost bullied them,

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Speaker 5: which is a really strong part of their game.

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Speaker 6: And yeah, we just didn't really allow them into the game.

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Speaker 5: They started to build some momentum in the back end

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Speaker 5: of the second half and we were very resolute and

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Speaker 5: just stood tall. So yeah, looking to hurt them early

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Speaker 5: like we did last time, I think that helps. They're

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Speaker 5: a very strong side, but they don't necessarily score heaps

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Speaker 5: of goals. I think it's their defense, defensive structure and

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Speaker 5: defensive efforts that have put them in this position. So

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Speaker 5: if we can rattle their cage early and hopefully score

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Speaker 5: really then I think, yeah, it puts the pressure on them.

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Speaker 5: And obviously, like you just touched on, it's an occasion

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Speaker 5: for them and we don't really have anything to lose,

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Speaker 5: so we're just going out there playing with freedom and

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Speaker 5: looking to enjoy the occasion in the atmosphere.

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Speaker 2: The win over Auckland FC was one of the high

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Speaker 2: points in what has been a difficult season for Perth Glory.

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Speaker 2: Why hasn't it gone your way this season?

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Speaker 5: Look, it's obviously still a period of change and I

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Speaker 5: know the fan probably frustrated here in that and we

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Speaker 5: are too. I think since the beginning of last season

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Speaker 5: when we went through some difficulties with ownership and all

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Speaker 5: of that sort of stuff. We're slowly rebuilding. But I

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Speaker 5: think we started the season with a very very young

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Speaker 5: side and we were on the back foot early. We've

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Speaker 5: got a new coach's that's implementing his structure and philosophies.

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Speaker 6: And it just hasn't quite.

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Speaker 5: Arrived quickly enough, and everything hasn't quite fallen into place

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Speaker 5: quickly enough.

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Speaker 6: There's been glimpses. I think probably.

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Speaker 5: Since January we've shown enough and just about every game,

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Speaker 5: probably by one or two to win and to take

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Speaker 5: positives out of the game. But we're just we're just

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Speaker 5: struggling to complete a really solid ninety minutes. I think

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Speaker 5: a really good example is we played probably our best

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Speaker 5: game of the year last time out at home against

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Speaker 5: so against Adelaide United, and we just put them to

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Speaker 5: the sword, but even so we still managed to give

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Speaker 5: them a really off goal, and that's just kind of

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Speaker 5: been the story of our campaign. Fortunately enough for us,

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Speaker 5: we played so well and took our chances at the

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Speaker 5: other end, which it didn't really matter, but we just

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Speaker 5: we tend.

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Speaker 6: To play quite well but then just let teams into

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Speaker 6: the game.

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Speaker 5: So it's about consistency for us and putting together ninety

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Speaker 5: minute performance. But I think what we're building is starting

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Speaker 5: to look positive, and I think the back half of

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Speaker 5: the season has kind of shone more glimpses of that.

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Speaker 2: Certainly, and talking of building and rebuilding and adding on,

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Speaker 2: nothing's been confirmed here yet, but there's some fairly strong

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Speaker 2: male that a couple of your former Phoenix teammates might

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Speaker 2: be joining you at Perth Glory next season. Sam Sutton

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Speaker 2: Scott Wooton if that were to happen, what would they

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Speaker 2: add to your playing group?

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Speaker 5: Well, yeah, like you said, I have heard those rumors too,

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Speaker 5: so I think for me, whether it's true or not,

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Speaker 5: it signals the shows that the clubs got the right intent.

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Speaker 5: You know, they want to add experience, they want to

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Speaker 5: add good quality, like young player in the form of

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Speaker 5: sut who brings energy and knows what it takes to

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Speaker 5: compete at the top of the league off the back

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Speaker 5: of last seasons fantastic campaign for Wellington. And then obviously

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Speaker 5: you've got Scotty who just brings a wealth of experience and.

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Speaker 6: Solidity at the back.

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Speaker 5: He's played at all sorts of levels and both great

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Speaker 5: characters as I know. Well, so yeah, if those two

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Speaker 5: signings were to come true and those come to fruition,

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Speaker 5: then I think from the fans perspective at Perth it's

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Speaker 5: a strong shove and tenth and I hope that we

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Speaker 5: can continue building building a really strong squad.

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Speaker 2: And it wasn't that long ago you were in Augland

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Speaker 2: actually of course, with the All Whites securing your place

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Speaker 2: at the World Cup next year, how motivated are you

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Speaker 2: personally only to be part of that squad that goes

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Speaker 2: to the World Cup?

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Speaker 6: Hugely? Hugely.

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Speaker 5: Obviously, it's been a gyom mine for a long time

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Speaker 5: and it's been something that I've been working towards for

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Speaker 5: a long period of time, and the decisions that I've

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Speaker 5: made over the last few seasons have all kind of

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Speaker 5: centered around the plan to play it next year's World Cup.

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Speaker 5: And for me, obviously, it's been a frustrating period with

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Speaker 5: football over the last two seasons and I've kind of

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Speaker 5: slipped down the pecking order a little bit at the

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Speaker 5: All Whites. But if anything, being a part of the

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Speaker 5: qualification campaign most recently in those games in March, it

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Speaker 5: just it just fueled the fire inside of me that

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Speaker 5: I want to be playing and that I want to

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Speaker 5: be out there performing at the World Cups. So yeah,

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Speaker 5: it was it was so much fun. It's fantastic group.

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Speaker 5: I can't speak highly enough of the group and the

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Speaker 5: culture that everyone a part of that. Everyone at news

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Speaker 5: in football has been a part of the build that

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Speaker 5: and yeah, it's very exciting time.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, it has an exciting occasion coming this afternoon. Well,

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Speaker 2: I hope, as far as you're concerned, Olie En for

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Speaker 2: Perth Glory, that you can play the villain this afternoon.

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Speaker 2: I get the feeling, as I say, you'll still be

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Speaker 2: asked for plenty of autographs and selfies afterwards. Mate, thanks

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Speaker 2: for taking the time for a chat. Look forward to

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Speaker 2: seeing you in a few hours my pleasure.

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Speaker 6: Thanks for having me as always, Pony.

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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 set B weekends from midday, or follow

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Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio