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Speaker 1: We did mention yesterday's other Darwin Salties. Well, they've announced

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Speaker 1: Matt Nason as the inaugural full time general manager and

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Speaker 1: I'm pleased to say that he joins me in the

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Speaker 1: studio right now.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Matt, Good morning Katie. Thank you for having me.

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Speaker 1: Welcome back to the territory.

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Speaker 2: Yes, it's been a long time, but I'm actually really

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Speaker 2: rapped to be back. It's fantastic. I'm a huge fan

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Speaker 2: of the territory, always have been, spent a bit of

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Speaker 2: time here in my youth.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, good on you, and how wonderful to come back

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Speaker 1: as the inaugural general manager of the Salties. Mate. The

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Speaker 1: Salties have done so well in their first couple of seasons.

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Speaker 1: It's an unbelievable Like, it's just unbelievable the way that

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Speaker 1: the community has embraced the Salties. But then I'm not

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Speaker 1: overly surprised, because we love our sport, love our basketball,

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Speaker 1: and it's just been wonderful to see the way that

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Speaker 1: things have progressed.

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Speaker 2: Look, we all know that the sport in the territory

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Speaker 2: is just an enormous part of the culture of the

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Speaker 2: entire place. It's a no brainer that the excitement goes

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Speaker 2: around the basketball concert. Basketball as a sport in its

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Speaker 2: own right just accelerating at a rate of k nots

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Speaker 2: that frankly a lot of associations around Australia and the

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Speaker 2: facilities associated to it can't keep up with at the

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Speaker 2: moment it terms to demand, which is kind of a

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Speaker 2: good problem to have. But the salties as an organization

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Speaker 2: in two years, what a story, I can tell you

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Speaker 2: from sitting in the outside outside looking in crazy.

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Speaker 1: So are you excited now to step step from the

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Speaker 1: outside to the inside and really you know, get in

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Speaker 1: there and get stuck into Thanks?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, most definitely. It's certainly a big challenge, There's no

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Speaker 2: doubt about it. Look, the inception of this role is

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Speaker 2: really about growth and performance. Clearly there's a pathway that

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Speaker 2: we're trying to develop to really go to a place

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Speaker 2: that territory sport really hasn't been before on that real

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Speaker 2: national level, a long way from home. But it all

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Speaker 2: starts with the NBA one program for the soldiers for sure.

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Speaker 1: And so Matt, for you stepping into this role as

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Speaker 1: the inaugural full time manager, what's sort of going to

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Speaker 1: be your main priorities as you step in?

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Speaker 2: Look as a starting point. Look clearly, at the moment

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Speaker 2: I'm saying hello and meeting a lot of people around

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Speaker 2: the place, it's about continuing the promotion of of what

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Speaker 2: the brand is all about and developing the value and

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Speaker 2: culture statement that that that we are really attributing to

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Speaker 2: what we're doing. Look that that tape is into the

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Speaker 2: roster development which is which is essentially something that started

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Speaker 2: now for for both the men's and women's programs, working

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Speaker 2: with the people that have come on board in a

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Speaker 2: partnering and a sponsorship model which has been clearly unbelievable

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Speaker 2: and I can tell you since walking in the door

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Speaker 2: that's been really exceptional to see. And then obviously on

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Speaker 2: the on the back of that, it's it's really growing

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Speaker 2: the professionalism around the business in its own right. The

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Speaker 2: way that the business has been structured through its inception

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Speaker 2: really has been phenomenally driven by essentially a volunteer source.

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Speaker 2: So this role that I'm that I'm on boarding with

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Speaker 2: is essentially the the first stake in the ground, if

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Speaker 2: you like, in terms of bringing on you know, paid

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Speaker 2: staff to grow what the du and salties is about

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Speaker 2: and what it intends to be in the future.

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Speaker 1: It's a really, you know, that's a really interesting point.

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Speaker 1: I reckon that a lot of people wouldn't realize, Like

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Speaker 1: we get that there's so many volunteers in every sport,

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Speaker 1: you know when you look at sport at that junior level.

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Speaker 1: But here we've got the Salty set are performing incredibly

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Speaker 1: well on that national stage in both the men's and

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Speaker 1: women's competitions, and largely driven by that volunteer base up

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Speaker 1: until this point. So it is going to be, I guess,

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Speaker 1: taking things to that next level.

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Speaker 2: I think it's really forgotten about a lot through all

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Speaker 2: of sport. It's certainly not associated to just basketball as

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Speaker 2: a code, yep, and certainly not just territory focused either.

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Speaker 2: I've been around lots of different sports through the course

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Speaker 2: of my life, and frankly largely as a volunteer myself.

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Speaker 2: It is the backbone of most community sport. To have

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Speaker 2: the capacity to actually bring in paid staff is frankly

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Speaker 2: a a very special opportunity for the club. So yeah,

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Speaker 2: look at some it's certainly an investment, there's no doubt

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Speaker 2: about it, yep. And yeah, clearly I'm here to make

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Speaker 2: good on that.

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Speaker 1: Now, what do you reckon for next season? For the salties.

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Speaker 1: How are we going to go?

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Speaker 2: Look, to be honest, Look, I'm looking forward to being

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Speaker 2: at to come back and announce a few things in

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Speaker 2: the coming weeks. But we are looking like we're shaping

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Speaker 2: up in a really strong manner, both in both the

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Speaker 2: men's and the women's programs. Look, I'm a bit hard

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Speaker 2: on sleeve. I always have been. I'm a high compete guy.

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Speaker 2: You like to keep the professionalism around that as well.

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Speaker 2: But look, let's be honest, we're not here to come second.

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Speaker 2: So we'd really like to be able to bring a

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Speaker 2: championship to the territory. And obviously those sorts of things,

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Speaker 2: you know, hold us in good stead for what the

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Speaker 2: future might hold too.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Look, as a very competitive person myself, I love

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Speaker 1: hearing that, and I know that a lot of territorians

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Speaker 1: would love hearing that as well. Are the playing rosters

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Speaker 1: looking good for next season? I'm guessing that you're working

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Speaker 1: through all of that now.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, work in progress, but progress. Nonetheless, it's certainly been

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Speaker 2: entertaining as a starting point. Working with the head coaches

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Speaker 2: that have been reappointed in Matt Flynn at rod Tremlin,

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Speaker 2: both of those gentlemen do work tirelessly around the way

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Speaker 2: that they engage with playing base. I can tell you

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Speaker 2: that that is not a small task. It's a lot

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Speaker 2: of contact hours. But look, I can definitely say we'll

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Speaker 2: be very proud of of the squads that we pull

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Speaker 2: together for this season for twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 1: Now, I know it was being reported earlier in the

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Speaker 1: week that that push towards Darwin getting an NBL license

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Speaker 1: is a step closer. Is there much more to say

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Speaker 1: in that space at this point.

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Speaker 2: Look, we've all seen the release through the course of

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Speaker 2: this week. Look, largely we are leaving it in the

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Speaker 2: safe and professional hands of NT major Events and the

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Speaker 2: government at this point in time. I mean, look, I

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Speaker 2: can tell you from the seat that I sit in

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Speaker 2: and definitely dealing with the board that I'm working with,

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Speaker 2: clearly super exciting times ahead. Definitely a lot of water

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Speaker 2: that's going to go unto the bridge at the moment.

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Speaker 2: But Look, the real is the performance of the club.

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Speaker 2: It's right there in the palm of our hand. We've

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Speaker 2: got to take the opportunities and do what we can

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Speaker 2: to make sure that this brand stands up and can

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Speaker 2: stack up at that next level. If the opportunity unfolds.

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Speaker 1: Well, Matt Nason, the general manager of the Salties. Good

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Speaker 1: to catch up with you. Thank you so much for

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Speaker 1: joining us this morning.

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Speaker 2: Katie, thanks so much, Thank you,