WEBVTT - Slade Griffin: Warriors Assistant Coach on the team's victory over the Penrith Panthers

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine

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<v Speaker 1>from Newstalk ZB.

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<v Speaker 2>Warriors assistant coach Slade Griffin with us. Thanks for your

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<v Speaker 2>time mate. How pleasing a night was there?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, obviously, like it was just a great night for

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<v Speaker 3>the club, Like just really proud of the boys, really

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<v Speaker 3>proud to be a part of the club. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>Fish come to the club, wanted to come home and

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<v Speaker 3>ever since he's been really proud about obviously his culture

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<v Speaker 3>and we wanted to do something like that last year

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<v Speaker 3>and boys just went ready. But they've practiced it and

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<v Speaker 3>you know, they did the hucker and it was just

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<v Speaker 3>spine tingling scenes and I think that just obviously got

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<v Speaker 3>them going. And yeah, look the boys have trained really

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<v Speaker 3>hard for a couple of years and the build a

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<v Speaker 3>game that we fell hold up in the big games.

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<v Speaker 3>You know that Army stole style of footy and they

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<v Speaker 3>got that on last night. And yeah, it was just

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<v Speaker 3>a really good performance, like you said, against the minor

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<v Speaker 3>premiers at the moment. So yeah, awesome night.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, the pregame like a Tamata man. Spine shilling is right, man,

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<v Speaker 2>It was amazing, even iman on television. It was amazing.

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<v Speaker 2>I can't imagine what it must have been like there.

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<v Speaker 2>So James Fisher Harris was one of the drivers of that.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah he was, Yeah, and he was. You know, some

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<v Speaker 3>of the boys are a little bit nervous, they haven't

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<v Speaker 3>done much of that in front of a big crowd

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<v Speaker 3>like that, but he just gave them confidence. And really

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<v Speaker 3>it was about representing obviously our country to be a culture,

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<v Speaker 3>even Pacifica and the Maldi boys. So yeah, it was

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<v Speaker 3>just awesome and like our crowd just got right behind them.

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<v Speaker 3>You know. It was one of the loudest crowds ever

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<v Speaker 3>been a part of SOS. Just an awesome night.

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<v Speaker 2>Electric, Yeah, certainly was. And then on the field James

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<v Speaker 2>Fisher Harris goes out there and has an absolute stormer.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, how influential is he in your playing group

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<v Speaker 2>because we see him slat and this is no surprise

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<v Speaker 2>to anybody. You know, he doesn't say a heck of

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<v Speaker 2>a lot in media situations, right, and he's you know,

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<v Speaker 2>he's pretty he's pretty low key, he's pretty understated. How

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<v Speaker 2>influential is he within your group?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah? Very He just has an aura about him. He

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<v Speaker 3>obviously believes in the hard stuff as well. Which has

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<v Speaker 3>been very vital for us, and he leads that with

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<v Speaker 3>his actions. But he doesn't speak a ton of training

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<v Speaker 3>as well, but when he does speak, everyone listens, and yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>he's obviously like he started really good. People hadn't even

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<v Speaker 3>seen at the back end of the game when they were,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, really coming home strong. He made a cover

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<v Speaker 3>tackle after playing sixty minutes or something, so yeah, just

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<v Speaker 3>those top of efforts instrumental for us.

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<v Speaker 2>Luke Metcalf comes back into the side. Couldn't really have

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<v Speaker 2>scripted a better return after such a long layoff in

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<v Speaker 2>time out of the side. Were you expecting him to

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<v Speaker 2>make that sort of impact straight away?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we all know what he's capable of. I think

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<v Speaker 3>it's also a credit to our forward pack like that

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<v Speaker 3>just lay in such a good platform for us buying

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<v Speaker 3>to playoff. But yeah, he obviously had his time out

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<v Speaker 3>of the team and has been confident the bit to

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<v Speaker 3>get his moment and he's been training really well for

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<v Speaker 3>his moment. So yeah, we all know the class player

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<v Speaker 3>he is. He obviously did it last year, so he's

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<v Speaker 3>done his apprenticeship under Shawn Johnson as well, so he

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<v Speaker 3>knows the club, he knows the system, so just really

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<v Speaker 3>happy for him to get his moment coming back from

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<v Speaker 3>that injury, and it seemed.

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<v Speaker 2>As though he didn't try to do too much. And

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<v Speaker 2>I guess that could have been the temptation, right, you

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<v Speaker 2>come back in after so long away, So right, I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going to I'm going to just take this game by

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<v Speaker 2>the scruff of the neck and really take charge, which

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<v Speaker 2>he did on occasion. But did you consciously speak to

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<v Speaker 2>him or did the coaches consciously speak to him about

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<v Speaker 2>not trying to do too much?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean on the defense coach where he might

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<v Speaker 3>have given him a little bit more of a clear

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<v Speaker 3>game plan. But I think the whole year, we're just

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<v Speaker 3>so confident in our Ford pack and our style of play,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, playing a long game, dragging him into the

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<v Speaker 3>deep ends of the Armory sole and then looking for

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<v Speaker 3>the cues off that. So yeah, he brought him to

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<v Speaker 3>the game plan and then he obviously added his what

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<v Speaker 3>he can do on top of it. You know, he's

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<v Speaker 3>such a good support player. Whenever he plays, he gets

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<v Speaker 3>on the man he wants and can put people in

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<v Speaker 3>the holy ones. So yeah, his speeds not many people

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<v Speaker 3>have it, and it's nice to get that. Plus is

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<v Speaker 3>kicking game that was obviously really helped us put them

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<v Speaker 3>in some tough spots.

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<v Speaker 2>Laka hello, Seema. Man, he just keeps on producing moments

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<v Speaker 2>that make people set up and take notice. But from

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<v Speaker 2>your point of view, Slat and that defensive sense, you

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<v Speaker 2>know he's playing in the centers, that's different. You know.

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<v Speaker 2>Have you had to work with them on his defensive

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<v Speaker 2>reads and such, l.

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<v Speaker 3>Like, Yeah, so we just have a long story short.

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<v Speaker 3>We practiced our defensive fundamentals a lot, so our forwards

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<v Speaker 3>train like our backs with our defensive movement. So we

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<v Speaker 3>want to be a really well moving team, and Leck

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<v Speaker 3>is one of our best defensive players. So yeah, when

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<v Speaker 3>he gets thrown out there, he's just such a confident kid.

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<v Speaker 3>He's not scared of anything. He actually played centers growing up,

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<v Speaker 3>but it's obviously different at n our ol level. But yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>he's so sound defensively that we all have confidence in

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<v Speaker 3>trying them out there with his reeds the.

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<v Speaker 2>Ten minute period where the Panthers sort of started to

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<v Speaker 2>become the Panthers again, desperate to get back in the game.

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<v Speaker 2>We know that they've got that in them. They have

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<v Speaker 2>come back from deficits of that sort before a couple

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<v Speaker 2>of tries, another one just allowed. What did you make

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<v Speaker 2>of that segment of the game.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we just got a few things wrong on our

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<v Speaker 3>right edge there, so we'll tide of that up this week.

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<v Speaker 3>We're just a little bit disconnected, guys making reads outside

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<v Speaker 3>of the system and they're not doing it together. So look,

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<v Speaker 3>we had obviously wanted idea where Nathan was, because where

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<v Speaker 3>he is, Jenny, the ball is going to follow, and

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<v Speaker 3>he really took the game by the scruff of the

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<v Speaker 3>neck there. Thought in that here we also didn't be

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<v Speaker 3>ruthless enough, like we were giving them fast start to

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<v Speaker 3>put a kicking down our left edge and Brian too

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<v Speaker 3>picks it up and runs forty meters and gets a

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<v Speaker 3>fast start where we could have turned it over in

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<v Speaker 3>the corner and they're probably kicking it from inside their

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<v Speaker 3>forty So there's a few moments we kind of let

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<v Speaker 3>them out of their end and then put a lot

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<v Speaker 3>of pressure on our defense. But we've got to be

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<v Speaker 3>able to handle that as well, because you need the

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<v Speaker 3>perfect But yeah, just shows the quality of Nathan a.

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<v Speaker 3>So they left opportunities like that you give them to, you.

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<v Speaker 2>Know, to be of you off and just to Finnish,

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<v Speaker 2>so I'm just looking at the table here. Panthers thirty

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<v Speaker 2>six rooster, thirty six, Warriors thirty four. The Sharks will

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<v Speaker 2>probably beat the Dragon, so they'll go to thirty four,

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<v Speaker 2>four games each. Left man, this is going to be

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<v Speaker 2>a sprint down the home straight. How do you keep

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<v Speaker 2>your heads?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, obviously you just got to worry week by week,

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<v Speaker 3>even training session by training session. So the boys get

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<v Speaker 3>three days off this weekend. We give them a little

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<v Speaker 3>mini buyers to freshen up again. The travel schedule has

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<v Speaker 3>been really tough for them, so they'll come back in

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<v Speaker 3>fresh and then yeah, obviously the goal is to get

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<v Speaker 3>that top two because we'd love to play at home

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<v Speaker 3>in front of our fans. I think they deserve it.

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<v Speaker 3>So the boys, we're doing everything they can, but you'll

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<v Speaker 3>literally have to take it week by week because every

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<v Speaker 3>team's hard in this competition and they will deserve respect.

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<v Speaker 2>Congratulations on last night's laid really special, special performance from

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<v Speaker 2>the team. All the best as you hopefully get a

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<v Speaker 2>bit of a break as well, and we look forward

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<v Speaker 2>to seeing how the back end of the regular as

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<v Speaker 2>implies out and beyond. Thanks for chatting as always, mate.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, thanks so kids at home, so a little bit harder.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm on told of How'm going to work for it easier,

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<v Speaker 3>but no, thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you. Slide back to the family. Slide Griffin on

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<v Speaker 2>News Talk Sead Basis

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<v Speaker 1>For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Pine, Listen live

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