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Speaker 1: Well, in a real change of pace and what could

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Speaker 1: be some wonderful news, the AFL is reportedly in advanced

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Speaker 1: talks with the Richmond Tigers and Essendon Bombers to permanently

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Speaker 1: relocate the AFL W Women's dream Time Match between the

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Speaker 1: clubs from Melbourne to Darwin. Now, that dream time match,

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Speaker 1: as we know, was first played as an AFL fixture

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Speaker 1: on the MCG back in two thousand and seven. With

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Speaker 1: the AFL match growing to become an iconic night, there

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Speaker 1: is no doubt about that. Now. Joining me on the

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Speaker 1: line to talk more about this very exciting possibility is

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Speaker 1: Sean Bowden, the AFLNT chairman.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Sean, Good morning Cody.

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Speaker 3: Mate. Where are these discussions at.

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Speaker 2: Well, they've taken a bit of a press forward in

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Speaker 2: the last few weeks with Richmond, with Essenmon being up

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Speaker 2: here for the NTFL Rep Games. One of our great

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Speaker 2: footy leaders faler I kind of sometimes refer to as

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Speaker 2: a spiritual leader of our game, Kevin Sheedy was up here. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: and Essendon indicated that some ideas we'd had around a

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Speaker 2: dream time women's game being in Darwin was something they

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Speaker 2: were really up for. That they'd also spoken to Richmond

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Speaker 2: about it, and Kevin of course when when he sort

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Speaker 2: of got his hands around the idea, he just thought

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Speaker 2: it was the most terrific idea and started to sort

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Speaker 2: of give some energy and some life to the project.

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Speaker 2: And it looks like we've got some momentum. So very

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Speaker 2: very very very good news, Kady, and really hopeful that

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Speaker 2: this is nicely set now for Darwin to have an

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Speaker 2: AFL Women's Dream Time gun.

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Speaker 1: It is incredible. It'd be so good to see happen.

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Speaker 1: And you know, and I just think so good for

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Speaker 1: the young territory girls. I mean girls and boys everybody,

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Speaker 1: but for those young girls that are playing AFL here

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Speaker 1: in the territory to be able to watch a game

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Speaker 1: like that, and you know, yeah, to see what is possible.

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Speaker 2: One hundred and in the Northern Territory we've where eaving

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Speaker 2: up to forty participation in football of women and girls.

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Speaker 2: Now that's more than twice the national average. So we've

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Speaker 2: got the girls and their mums and their grandmothers participating

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Speaker 2: in our game. Our biggest club, Southern Districts has got

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Speaker 2: twenty seven teams. Fourteen of those teams are female teams,

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Speaker 2: women or girls and it's just incredible. And you go

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Speaker 2: down to some of the clubs, you go to some

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Speaker 2: of the games, and just the life and the energy

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Speaker 2: around women's football is extraordinary. And this is a part

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Speaker 2: of One of the reasons where afhllncies right into this

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Speaker 2: is because this is just part of rewarding the energy

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Speaker 2: and the effort and the love of the game that

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Speaker 2: those women and girls have got.

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Speaker 3: I agree with you.

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Speaker 1: Look, I'm pretty lucky I get to go and run

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Speaker 1: water for the under fourteen girls.

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Speaker 3: I think it's incredible seeing.

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Speaker 1: Those you know, seeing those girls out there and the

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Speaker 1: passion that they've got for the game, and there's a

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Speaker 1: sheer volume of young girls that are playing footy in

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Speaker 1: the territory is wonderful to.

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Speaker 3: See, you know.

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Speaker 1: How like, where are the discussions ash and why are

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Speaker 1: we being considered? I suppose what I'm trying to ascertain

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Speaker 1: is just how real is the possibility here?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's very real. We've talked at a

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Speaker 2: number of levels about as I say that, the discussion.

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Speaker 2: The idea has been around for about six months, the

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Speaker 2: concept and we've been talking through the AFL system and

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Speaker 2: the networks and also with the NT government been terrific

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Speaker 2: support for everything we do. We've been talking with them

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Speaker 2: just about the prospect and one of the chantalizing things

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Speaker 2: about the game is if it's about fixturing now, and

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Speaker 2: if we can fixture it towards the end of October

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Speaker 2: or September, well that's traditionally a bit of a quiet

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Speaker 2: time in Darlin. I think the tourism people call it

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Speaker 2: a shoulder season where we've worked through the big dry

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Speaker 2: and there's not a lot happening. Everyone's taking a bit

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Speaker 2: of a breather, but there's there's no other events there.

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Speaker 2: So if it could be fixed in late August or

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Speaker 2: early September, and that's where the opportunity lies, I think

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Speaker 2: you also have a terrific opportunity there to really showcase

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Speaker 2: the game nationally and showcase the Northern territory nationally. And

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Speaker 2: I can imagine some of the media and the Channel seven,

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Speaker 2: you know, do on a quick trip across the Tea

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Speaker 2: Whee to have a look where women's football is just

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Speaker 2: just you know, out of this world and you know,

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Speaker 2: moving out. I think Kevin was talking about going out

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Speaker 2: to Elko Island, the cities. He's desperate to get back

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Speaker 2: to Elko Island where he went ten years ago, where

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Speaker 2: he's heard and it's true, they're playing football twelve months

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Speaker 2: of the year. They just keep going. Men's teams women's teams.

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Speaker 2: Is just fantastic. So there's that tantalizing opportunity as well

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Speaker 2: around it not just being a football event, not just

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Speaker 2: doing for the spectators and those of us love the game,

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Speaker 2: but really being able to put a bit of a

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Speaker 2: shot in the arm to the territory economy and just

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Speaker 2: positioning Dale and the territory in the national mindset as well.

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Speaker 1: Su any chance we could get the men's game here

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Speaker 1: as well, it's already been.

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Speaker 2: Imagine that when I'm talking around and I'm talking about

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Speaker 2: it with time game, I'm not talking about a men's

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Speaker 2: Trea Time.

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Speaker 3: I know you would be. I trust that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, people get rest assured. But we're going to keep

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Speaker 2: that on the table. And I think, you know, the

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Speaker 2: AFL have now settled a little bit after COVID and

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Speaker 2: we had that extraordinary game in twenty twenty, which was

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Speaker 2: the second highest rating game on of AFL that year,

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Speaker 2: second only to the Grand Final. And you know, so

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Speaker 2: that's one level. The other level of it was just

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Speaker 2: the extraordinary buying by the whole of the territory community.

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Speaker 2: And you know, we may have our issues in the

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Speaker 2: territory and we've got there's tough, tough things going on,

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Speaker 2: and we all know that at the moment, but when

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Speaker 2: you go to the footing, when you go to the

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Speaker 2: game on it, you just see the whole community pulling together.

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Speaker 2: It really is something special. So we're going to keep

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Speaker 2: advocating for a men's game. That's obviously a massive picture

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Speaker 2: in Melbourne, and you know, they fill the mcdre with it,

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Speaker 2: so it's highly competitive, but we'll keep our hands up.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, good stuff. I think it's wonderful.

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Speaker 1: And you know, it was wonderful to go and watch

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Speaker 1: those nt REP sides last week or the week before

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Speaker 1: as well. You know, I took a group of the girls,

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Speaker 1: group of my daughter and her friends and it was

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Speaker 1: just so good for them to see those young, well

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Speaker 1: territory women do so well. And some of the girls

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Speaker 1: on that side, you know, the likes of Emma Stark seventeen,

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Speaker 1: you know, young Marika.

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Speaker 3: I think it's even younger there.

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Speaker 1: It's that yeah, up and coming talent and it's so

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Speaker 1: like you can't see well, you know, you can't be

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Speaker 1: what you can't see, and it's so good to see

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Speaker 1: those those young women doing so incredibly well.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, totally, and you know we'll keep we'll keep working

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Speaker 2: to get not just a dream time going, We'll seek

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Speaker 2: to add on. You know, if you've got your camera

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Speaker 2: cruse here, you've got your infrastructure here, maybe there in time,

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Speaker 2: there's other games that come with it, and maybe you

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Speaker 2: do a round up here. Now. Don't want to get

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Speaker 2: too far ahead of myself or ourselves up here, but

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Speaker 2: you know this is about you know, paying back and

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Speaker 2: rewarding just that love of the game. And I mean

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Speaker 2: I saw it. I give the great privilege of going

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Speaker 2: to the jump of presentation. You hang out the jumpers

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Speaker 2: for the men, and you know a lot of these

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Speaker 2: guys that show their emotions that that openly. You know

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Speaker 2: they're there for business. The girls just the beaming smiles

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Speaker 2: as they're walking in the door and receiving the jumpers.

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Speaker 2: It's just it's a reflection of what you're talking about

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Speaker 2: when you have the ground and you're seeing it, you're

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Speaker 2: feeling it. They played like that, those ladies. Yeah, I

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Speaker 2: thought the women's game was it was more competitive the

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Speaker 2: men's game in a way. Just the endeavor was extraordinary.

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Speaker 2: The scoring wasn't high, but she was a terrific game

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Speaker 2: on football.

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Speaker 3: It sure was.

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Speaker 1: Now before I let you go, Sean local footy were

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Speaker 1: only a few weeks out, aren't we from the finals time?

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Speaker 3: It's all pretty exciting at the moment.

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Speaker 2: It is that the top five and it's the top

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Speaker 2: six really. Buffaloes are still there and they've got a

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Speaker 2: very strong team when they get that whole team on

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Speaker 2: the park, but the top five is highly competitive. For

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Speaker 2: credit to Pint for what they've done this year under

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Speaker 2: Channa Mottlop's coaching and leadership. It's going to be a

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Speaker 2: cracker of a final series. You really can't split. I

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Speaker 2: can't split them the teams, they've all seemed to have

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Speaker 2: beaten each other in close games. They're obviously having some

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Speaker 2: big wins against some of the lower teams, which is

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Speaker 2: something that does worries as a league. We need to

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Speaker 2: keep working on that. But some of those lower teams

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Speaker 2: will course some trouble in the last few weeks, so

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Speaker 2: always do. And the tee wee Bombers are up and about.

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Speaker 2: They pushed buffs, they've pushed warritas I'm sure they're going

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Speaker 2: to push Southern districts on the weekend and Palmerston are

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Speaker 2: hungary just to get goals and to have a win,

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Speaker 2: and so it's all very competitive, Katie, I think it's

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Speaker 2: going to be a cracking final series.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I reckon it will be.

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Speaker 1: It's always a wonderful, wonderful time at the foot no

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Speaker 1: matter who you go and watch, no matter what age

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Speaker 1: group you're watching.

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Speaker 3: It's always exciting, isn't it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And the Premier is a point in the women's

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Speaker 2: last week against Saint Mary's. I mean they just had

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Speaker 2: one of the great games as well. So it's all

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Speaker 2: happening across all the levels. It's fantastic and it's I

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Speaker 2: think we're really proud of. I'm really proud of what

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Speaker 2: I'm seeing out there on the grounds and just how

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Speaker 2: people you know, and it's the volunteers as well.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I didn't realize you're running water as well, but

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Speaker 4: that's what's happening. Yeah, the mums and dads are pitching

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Speaker 4: in and goal umpiring, running water. I'mpiring boundary, i'mpiring match managing.

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Speaker 2: It's all happening and I think it just it just

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Speaker 2: makes for a great community.

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Speaker 1: It truly does. It really shows you the best of

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Speaker 1: the community. I reckon the way that you see everybody

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Speaker 1: come together like.

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Speaker 3: That and help out.

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Speaker 1: Sean Bowden, the chairman of AFL here in the North Territory,

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Speaker 1: always good to speak with you and keep us up

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Speaker 1: to date with those discussions. Yeah, well, thanks so much

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Speaker 1: for your time this morning.