In episode 76 of The Press Box, sports reporters Ben Hann and Josh Partridge discuss the full AFL fixture at UTAS Stadium, which features two night games. Video by Aaron Smith and Paul Scambler (20/11/24)
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00:00Welcome one and all to another episode of the Pressbox, episode 76 for you guys today.
00:12My name is Ben Hand, joined once again by Josh Partridge.
00:15We've got a very football heavy episode because naturally it is the second last Wednesday
00:20of November.
00:21That's when all the football is happening.
00:24But first of all, we'll go to everyone's favourite segment, Numerology.
00:34So Josh, I've actually got a bit of a soccer theme, maybe just break it up, get it off
00:38footy because it's going to be very strong with footy.
00:41Returning Tasmanian soccer player, Nathaniel Atkinson obviously had that great stint at
00:46Hearts in Middle Lothian, playing in the most recent World Cup where he played up against
00:51Kylian Mbappe.
00:54When he returned to Melbourne City, he played 75 games going into this season.
01:01So his debut return was the 76th game he has played for Melbourne City during his time.
01:08So the Riverside Olympic product really helping me out there.
01:12One of your better ones, well done.
01:13Thank you very much.
01:14But we do actually have a really big episode.
01:17A lot of stuff's happened in Tasmanian football in the last week, in the last seven days,
01:23even the last two weeks.
01:25Obviously off the back of Scott Starr's signing of their coach, we've got Deloraine a bit
01:29more on that later.
01:30But we'll first move over to UCAS Stadium where AFL have announced their full fixture,
01:37which means the four Launceston AFL fixtures.
01:40And my God, Josh, it's a pretty unprecedented one.
01:43Yeah, a bit going on.
01:45We have a Saturday night game, which is the first night game since 2018 where the Hawks
01:49played the Saints.
01:50But then later down the track, there's a Friday night game, which is unprecedented.
01:53As you said, it's never happened here in Lonnie before.
01:57So it's a massive fixture for not just Launceston, but Tasmania in general.
02:02Yeah, I think that Saturday night game is going to be a really good one.
02:05It's March 29th, so round three against the Giants.
02:07Two really exciting teams, the Hawks and the Giants, played a cracking game here just this
02:12year.
02:13And then that Friday night game is going to be an interesting one because I think, obviously
02:17it's going to be really awesome to see just a new time slot here in Launceston.
02:20It's prime time AFL to come here.
02:23It's pretty remarkable.
02:24But it is going to be in the middle of winter, so it's going to be interesting to see whether
02:28people really turn out for a game in the middle of June or even July.
02:33And it's interesting as well, it's against Adelaide.
02:36Adelaide could be anything by the time Round 14 comes around.
02:39Obviously, coming into last season, or this season, sorry, they were touted to be finals
02:44chances and then it didn't end up going their way.
02:47By the time Round 14 comes around, they could be another Hawthorne.
02:50So it could be a really interesting clash that one.
02:52That's it.
02:53They've got a really exciting list as well.
02:54And they've obviously got North Melbourne, the one Victorian team at Port Adelaide.
02:58And the way that that rivalry is blossoming, that should be a really great game as well.
03:02They've had some absolute rippers in the men's and women's games this year.
03:06So hopefully that can continue.
03:08I did write a story today about how a myth has been dispelled about there was a well-held
03:15belief, I think, among many people in Launceston that two Victorian teams have to play down
03:20here every year.
03:21And maybe the way they got around it in the past had been Brisbane's connection to Fitzroy
03:25or maybe Sydney's connection to South Melbourne.
03:28But as it turns out, there's actually, at least in the current agreement, no obligation
03:31to.
03:32There's a minimum of two games to be played against a Victorian, New South Wales or Queensland
03:37team.
03:38So we just cleared that one up for you.
03:39But I want to ask you about quickly the Devils.
03:42How much of what's to come next year is massive for them in terms of maybe getting an understanding
03:48of what to do and what not to do for night games in Launceston?
03:52Yeah, absolutely.
03:53I suppose when the Devils debut, Launceston's going to be the main ground.
03:58Obviously the new Hobart Stadium isn't going to be built yet.
04:01So these are a crash test run several years out.
04:04So yeah, as you said, it's going to be really interesting to see, to show people what to
04:09do and what not to do in a night game in Tasmania because it's going to be cold.
04:13Like the simple fact is it is going to be cold, but I think, and I'd hope as football
04:18fans in Tasmania, we're a little bit more switched on than, oh, it's going to be cold.
04:23So, but who knows?
04:25Who knows?
04:26That's exactly it.
04:27And, you know, I do want to ask you quickly about attendances as well, but I suppose we'll
04:33introduce that question with everyone's, you know, I suppose the landmark segment of
04:38what's now, you know, the most popular show in Tasmanian television.
04:42And that is Haney's Hard Hitters.
04:51I haven't built this one up at all.
04:53I suppose, Josh, the question, the hard hitting question for this week is, will 2025 be the
04:59most well attended four game, so the accumulated crowd across four games in the four Hawks
05:06games era?
05:07Yes.
05:08What else is there to do on a Friday night here in Launceston?
05:12It sounds incredibly brutal, but you're either going to go to the pub and watch the footy
05:17if it's not in Launceston, or there's a game in Launceston.
05:20Let's go to the, let's go to the game and watch the footy.
05:23Like, I think that game in particular and the Saturday night one as well are really
05:27going to boost the crowd figures.
05:29I think, as you said, we were talking before, it was 50,000 over the course of the four
05:34games this year, so you need basically 12 and a half every game to crack that next year.
05:40And I think with those two night games, I think that should be happening, especially
05:44with GWS as well.
05:45They're a really good opponent and it's going to be a great game of football, as you
05:49said.
05:50So I would hope so, yes.
05:51So I do agree on that front that it actually, you know, Launceston's biggest audience is
05:56Launceston playing footy themselves or at their local footy teams when historic games
06:01have been played here, because it's been on Saturday afternoon.
06:03So it actually opens up a massive market of people who can't normally come, who now
06:08can.
06:09And you're right, there's genuine potential for 15,000.
06:12The only thing I'll say against it is between GWS, North Melbourne, Adelaide and Port Adelaide,
06:19you won't get too many away supporters at all.
06:22And I do think that it is going to be really cold in that Friday night game.
06:27And as much as there's a novelty to it, I think people will want to go for the novelty
06:32of it.
06:33I wonder if that will detract, if it's particularly wet and cold Friday night, where that would
06:37detract people from coming.
06:38But that will be seen.
06:39This time in 52 episodes, Ben, we can sit here and see whether who's right or not.
06:44Well, there you go.
06:45That's something to look forward to.
06:48There was another event at UTAS Stadium just on Thursday.
06:51The unofficial launch, I suppose, of the MTFA Premier League.
06:55All six clubs together in a public space for the first time.
06:58As well as a good photo event.
07:00It was good to see six really optimistic clubs against what has been a fairly controversial
07:07at times competition.
07:08But Josh, probably news I think that all of Northern Tasmania wanted to see, just for
07:14the sake of the football club, Deloraine announcing their head coach, senior coach for 2025.
07:20Take me through who he is and I suppose why this is such big news.
07:23Yep.
07:24They unveiled Nick Milbourne.
07:25What was it?
07:26It was Sunday night as their coach on the social media stream.
07:30So he's a very experienced footballer on the northwest coast.
07:33He's played for Forth, East Devonport, Devonport.
07:36And he spent a year up here for Bridge North.
07:37And I think that's the most important part of it all almost.
07:40That he knows the MTFA landscape.
07:42He kicked 50 goals that season and Bridge North made the grand final.
07:45So even if he's not playing for Deloraine, which they're not quite sure whether he's
07:50going to do yet.
07:51But it's going to be really interesting to see how he translates I guess his coastal
07:57footy knowledge into our sphere I suppose.
08:00He's going to be able to bring a fair few recruits with him I'd imagine.
08:03Obviously it's very late now, being in late November.
08:06But if there's some blokes that aren't quite sure what they're doing next year.
08:09He's a really influential figure that I might follow him to Deloraine and see how
08:14they go.
08:15And that's exactly what they need.
08:17We will have to quickly move on obviously.
08:19Deloraine, great news out there in the west.
08:22But there is more breaking news I suppose.
08:25Coming out of the south part of the state.
08:28A very late switch that I don't think many people saw coming.
08:32Rosny Park looked the clear favourite to house Tasmania Devils High Performance Centre.
08:38It has been announced, it was leaked yesterday, or I should say Monday.
08:43And it's been announced officially on today, so Tuesday, that Kingborough will actually
08:48house the High Performance Centre for the Devils.
08:51Gerry Ockliffe confirmed it, Nick Guygan confirmed it, and the Tasmania Devils have now confirmed
08:56it as well.
08:57Look, I think most people who want to see the Devils do well are just happy this is
09:02getting underway, getting started.
09:04Sounds like it's been a pretty arduous and pretty unclear process, which is pretty
09:08disappointing, but I suppose this is just another box ticked for the Devils in becoming
09:13a clump.
09:14It's going to be brilliant, and what it will do for the city of Kingborough, Kingston,
09:18whatever you want to call it, it's going to be massive for that whole municipality.
09:23Yeah, exactly.
09:24It is a bit out of the way, isn't it, compared to Rosny, but I think, I know you've got
09:27the Jackjumpers out there, and the Devils out there are soon to be out there.
09:31It's going to be, as you said, really massive for that council.
09:34A thing, oh, sorry, no, it's not what we had time for.
09:38Oh, I cannot believe I nearly forgot.
09:40And with such momentum, it would have been, I would have heard uproar had we not had this
09:45segment come to fruition.
09:46It is Josh's Local Hero of the Week.
09:50Well, my hero for this week comes out of the Cricket North second grade competition, and
10:02it goes to Mowbray's Duncan Hill.
10:04Their captain, he took 7 for 13 on the weekend, which is, as you said before, a lot for not
10:11many.
10:12So he bowled, obviously, brilliantly in their game, but massive for Duncan, who's a much
10:18loved character of the Mowbray Cricket Club, so fantastic for him to have done as well
10:23as he did on the weekend.
10:24Yeah, we've got a lot of bowlers getting in this Love Hero of the Week.
10:27I, for one, am all for it.
10:29He might be here soon, mate.
10:31Oh, I don't think so.
10:33I think that's all the time we have for this week.
10:37We'll catch you guys for the next episode.
10:48Bye.