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Speaker 1: And we just caught up with the Palmeston Crocs ahead

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Speaker 1: of the big dance on Saturday, and I'm pleased to

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Speaker 1: say their opponents, the Darwin Dragons Vice captain Bianchor scrimjaw

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Speaker 1: Napatali joins me in the studio. Good morning to you,

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Speaker 1: b Anchor.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: How are you feeling pumps?

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Speaker 2: We're excited, but obviously nervous as well. You know, Palmerston

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Speaker 2: have been our our competition majority of the season and

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Speaker 2: you know we've had a few very close losses to

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Speaker 2: them as well, so it's definitely going to come down

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Speaker 2: to the pump on the weekend.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, it's it's like it's good when you feel

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Speaker 1: that kind of excitement and nervous. You know that the

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Speaker 1: Grand Final means something and you can tell that like

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Speaker 1: you can tell the Crocs girls are excited slash nervous

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Speaker 1: like yourself. Yeah, so it's going to be a big game,

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Speaker 1: isn't it?

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Speaker 2: Absolutely? And I think you know their drivers also, you

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Speaker 2: know how far they've come, you know, from from not

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Speaker 2: making finals last year to now being in a Grand

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Speaker 2: Final as a fan stick achievement over the last twelve months.

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Speaker 2: So they'll definitely have that spark behind them, and I think,

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Speaker 2: you know that's that's in the back of our minds

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Speaker 2: as well.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, how's the Dragon's team looking. Have you guys

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Speaker 1: got is it quite an experienced team be anchor? Have

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Speaker 1: you got quite a or have you got a few

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Speaker 1: young girls? How's the team look?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we've got it's all round. Really. We've got our

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Speaker 2: very experienced an issue who's been playing for for many years,

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Speaker 2: and then you've got a few girls who have been

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Speaker 2: there over the past three to five years. And then

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Speaker 2: we've got our three younger girls who have come up

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Speaker 2: this season and will be playing in their first Senior

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Speaker 2: Women's Union Grand finals.

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Speaker 1: Oh how good. We're just talking about that with Megan

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Speaker 1: as well. I love seeing young women do really well

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Speaker 1: in sport. I love seeing the young ones playing up

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Speaker 1: in you know, like in the A grade. I think

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Speaker 1: it's phenomenal to see and it sort of goes to

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Speaker 1: show you as well, how far like you know, some

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Speaker 1: of our sports like rugby union right, like rugby league

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Speaker 1: AFL have come in recent years.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, and for someone that's in the junior base with coaching,

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Speaker 2: it's fantastic to see their confidence. But it's also a

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Speaker 2: testament to the teams itself and the women in the team,

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Speaker 2: you know, to be able to give the younger girls

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Speaker 2: that confidence to go out there and want to play

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Speaker 2: in senior women footy and make it a positive and

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Speaker 2: you know, delightful experience for them as well.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, Hey, how has the preparation been coming along

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Speaker 1: this week? What's training been like?

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Speaker 2: If anyone knows our coach, he's a he's a hard

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Speaker 2: worker and you know, I think throughout the season it's

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Speaker 2: it's always been just full on. So this this week

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Speaker 2: has definitely you know, he's up the tempo a bit

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Speaker 2: more and and now it's just fine tuning what we

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Speaker 2: can what's your coaches know Wayne Johnson?

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Speaker 1: And he doesn't buck around, absolutely not.

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Speaker 2: He's and that's the reason why he won the Senior

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Speaker 2: Coach of the Year as well at the Eric Johnson Awards,

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Speaker 2: So you know he's Our successes have been a testament

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Speaker 2: to what he's put us through.

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Speaker 1: And now, what are you going to be focusing on

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Speaker 1: this weekend? Like we do? You reckon? The game is

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Speaker 1: going to be one all lost.

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Speaker 2: I think it'll come down to our forwards. I think

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Speaker 2: both of our teams have really good and strong forward packs.

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Speaker 2: But you know, it's just it's really hard to say.

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Speaker 2: Like I said, they've they've been out there, they've been

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Speaker 2: our strongest competitor competition sorry, all year. And and yeah,

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Speaker 2: it'll just come down to I guess he really wants

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Speaker 2: it the most out of out of the both teams.

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Speaker 1: Anyone in your team that you know that you think

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Speaker 1: is going to, I guess it's hard to say. You

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Speaker 1: don't want to put too much pressure on people, right,

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Speaker 1: and so they're going to have a cracker of a game.

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Speaker 1: But is there anybody that you know that you think

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Speaker 1: is going to or has sort of stood out throughout

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Speaker 1: the season.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it is really hard to say, because I think,

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Speaker 2: you know, the last couple of games have come off

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Speaker 2: the back of teamwork within our squad, and so I'm

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Speaker 2: just hoping that we're all going to have a cracker

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Speaker 2: of a game, and not name anyone in particular, but

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Speaker 2: if they're, you know, we've got our apt and back

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Speaker 2: this this this weekend. Ellie Nikky so hopefully, you know,

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Speaker 2: because she's she's been out for a while, so hopefully

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Speaker 2: she's she's ready to go. And and yeah, but yeah,

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Speaker 2: it's it's really hard to just put a name on

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Speaker 2: it because.

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Speaker 1: Well, that's exactly right when you're part of a team, right,

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Speaker 1: it's you know, like you feel like you're so close

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Speaker 1: anyway as a team, so you sort of don't want

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Speaker 1: to single anyone out now. Tell me though, I mean

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Speaker 1: for you guys, I guess the Dragons have seen as

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Speaker 1: the potentially the favorites just given previous years. How you

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Speaker 1: feel like, how do you sort of take that tag?

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Speaker 1: I guess.

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Speaker 2: It's puts It definitely puts a lot more pressure on us.

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Speaker 2: And you know, we've gone through the season undefeated, and

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Speaker 2: sometimes that's not a good thing because you know, you

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Speaker 2: want to have that little bit of a loss throughout

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Speaker 2: the season to to then bounce back from. But at

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Speaker 2: the end of the day, with with with, we're doing

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Speaker 2: what we can do in preparation and hopefully it'll pay off.

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Speaker 1: But ankorof had you on the show before you also,

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Speaker 1: you're also a rugby league legend and you coach the

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Speaker 1: young girls in the rugby league as well, don't you.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I do.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I love that. I love that you're a cross

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Speaker 1: codes Obviously, the season sort of a line that you

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Speaker 1: can do that right.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's fantastic that we do have that opportunity

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Speaker 2: to play both both codes. While Union is still growing,

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Speaker 2: it is getting a lot better. And to see you know,

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Speaker 2: teams like the Crocs where they did struggle for numbers

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Speaker 2: previously to now you know, being where they're at and

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Speaker 2: other teams build on their foundation. It's fantastic that we

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Speaker 2: do have that option to then switch codes throughout the season.

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Speaker 1: Now, any any special rituals or superstitions before the weekend

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Speaker 1: before the big Grand Final?

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, my team know them, so you're not going

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Speaker 2: no fair enough.

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Speaker 1: I like to ask everyone that before the Grand Final.

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Speaker 1: It's interesting some of them we caught up with when

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Speaker 1: we're catching up with the women Saint Mary's team last week.

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Speaker 1: They were like, our coach is never allowed to wear

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Speaker 1: a pair of white sneakers that he bought in round

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Speaker 1: three that we lost the game.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, no, ours is stick to routine and don't change

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Speaker 2: a thing that is good.

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Speaker 1: That's a good, consistent, solid ritual. I reckon. We'll be

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Speaker 1: anchor scrimdaw Napatali. It is lovely to have you in

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Speaker 1: the studio this morning. Thank you so much for your time.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for having me awesome good luck on the weekend,