Ben Hann, Josh Partridge, and Ryan Bentley discuss the weekend NTFA representative games at UTAS Stadium in epiode 88 of The Press Box. Video by Aaron Smith and Paul Scambler (28/5/25)
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00:00Welcome one and all to that episode of the press box episode 88 my name is Ben
00:11Hen lovely to be back and join me once again is Ryan Bentley and Josh Partridge
00:17we've got another big episode for you guys today with the NFL rep games done
00:22and dusted for the first round and but before we get into any of that it's time
00:26for everyone's favorite segment numerology
00:34right yeah today boys obviously only been back for a few days so getting back
00:41into the the maths swing of things really searching for a really top quality 88 and
00:4788 is an important number in Tasmanian sport because of Bo Webster everyone's
00:52favorite Tasmanian cricketer his last test match I was actually at that test
00:56match in Sri Lanka that didn't take any chance to announce that he had a pretty
01:03good game I think he famously bowled his pace and his spinners so you know bring
01:09everything to the table and he scored 31 runs now if we bring the maths together
01:15here Ryan 31 runs with the bat plus his first inning bowling figures of none for
01:2113 so we'll take that 13 and add that to the 31 that equals 44 now he also took two
01:27wickets one with pace one with spin so we take those two wickets and we times that
01:32by the 44 added before and that is in fact 88 you guys can check my maths at home or
01:38even the editing suite maybe check my maths as well but I like to think that's
01:42correct and now we're off to this fly Josh try and back it up if you can we had the
01:48NTFA rep games at Utah Saturday on the weekend mixed results for the NTFA but I
01:52think overall a pretty positive weekend yeah I don't know how to follow that but
01:55I'm gonna try my best yeah the first game we had was the women's game the women
02:01went down by 24 points to the northwest 212 24 to 76 48 inaccuracy obviously the huge
02:10key there for the NTFA women they were 0-10 at three quarter time so they hit the post
02:15probably three or four times obviously can go either way there but yeah they were just
02:20they were quite good like they started really slow they were down by six goals at
02:25at quarter time so after that they've really kept themselves in it in a way but
02:29the two best were for me clearly were Meg Radford and Kelsey Hill both Anceston girls Meg Radford won the
02:36medal for the best on ground for the north and Kelsey actually copped a bit of a
02:41knock in the second quarter and kind of came off the ground and kind of thinking
02:43oh what's going on here but she came on wearing a different number so she must have
02:48busted I think she busted her nose she was like carrying her nose once she came
02:51off and yeah come on wearing a different number and was still courageous and as she
02:56always is so she played a brilliant game and then that went nicely into the
02:59men's where the men beat the northwest for the first time in quite a long time
03:03more than two decades uh 14 11 95 to 10 12 72 now Zach Morris was the difference
03:10there kicking three last quarter goals um he kicked four for the game and was
03:14quite influential at both ends of the ground he can play both forward and back
03:17and took a few marks key marks in the back there that were really solid as well
03:21but Alex Lee was the best on ground for the north donning number 60 so fair to say
03:26it was a uh a height to number ratio for for that there he couldn't fit into the
03:31lower numbers so they whacked him into the 60 but um yeah it was a really good
03:35game really good to see uh the north come out on top but Ben
03:38you spoke to Zach uh yesterday mate I suppose talk me through what he had to
03:41say about the game yeah obviously other than um having to
03:44learn the new ntfa team song which was it wouldn't have been
03:47it's a long song no it would have been tough for Alex wouldn't it
03:51um no he um he did speak about the fact that he was moved forward he's been a
03:56defender a lot this year so that was a fun new experience for him and just in
04:01general um being able to play with these uh some high quality players and being
04:05able to um you know be involved in a really highly competitive um highly
04:09skilled fixture was something I think he really enjoyed
04:11he did um come to the defense of the premier league uh you know it's no secret
04:16there's been a lot of scrutiny there's been a lot of probably criticism about
04:19this premier league um and how I suppose not competitive it's been in a lot of
04:24occasions and he said it look it actually motivated the boys to be to really
04:29prove that this premier league or this region is the the best region in the
04:33state and that you know the results doesn't um reflect the actual quality
04:38individual quality and I think amongst the league I think you could tell that
04:40watching the game I think you could tell that the players really relished
04:43taking that next step up um obviously most of the team came from the TSL last year
04:48so they haven't they hadn't played that what so-called higher level footy since
04:53last year so they really wanted to take it to the next level in this stuff and it
04:56was I think it was really obvious during the game yeah absolutely and that wasn't
05:01the only thing that was going on over the weekend was obviously the highest level
05:04of footy but there was um you know some really big games in the in the lower
05:08divisions Ryan I'll start with you mate uh we had the the Div 1 win we've got a
05:13pretty clear now uh premiership favorite um largely thanks to uh maybe a new
05:19recruit that has uh really taken the league by storm
05:22Naomi Prokope a little bit of tonne watch perhaps in Division 1 women she
05:26kicked seven of Old Scotch's eight in their um 43 point win um so she's now at
05:3137 goals at this early stage of the season so potentially just a little bit of
05:36tonne watch perhaps um but yeah Old Scotch they're so so good to be honest um
05:40oh well so the third team on the ladder and they yeah they just blown out of the
05:44park really um their midfield duo Monique Booth in the ruck and tapping it down to
05:50Harriet Bingley it's a pretty dangerous duo there's no stopping it really um
05:53yeah they're going to be tough to beat Old Scotch unfortunately for the rest of
05:57the comp but hey maybe Bridge North can pull a little bit of something out
06:01towards the end exactly right I think um Old Scotch probably deserve it more than
06:05most have come so so close but um so many times so maybe this is the year and you
06:11mentioned three players that they haven't really had access to for the you
06:14know the previous season so sometimes just getting that extra quality that extra
06:18talent can be all the difference and that um brings us on to um you know I
06:22think the landmark segment in all of Tasmanian sport and that is
06:25Handy's Hard Hitters
06:27so it's a long way to return I know the uh audience I've had up to one but not
06:39definitely not two texts uh asking where Handy's Hard Hitters has been um and uh to
06:45come back in with a bang I'm going to go for some early predictions please boys uh two
06:51months in what is your respective leagues uh premiership prediction uh North
06:57Launceston yeah wow is that for both men and women no North Launceston uh obviously
07:03comfortably at the moment the the men's favorites um the women's competition in the
07:07Premier League is so close and so good really you've got four teams there uh in
07:12Deloraine Scottsdale South and Launceston good didn't forget any that would have sucked
07:16uh all there at the top uh Deloraine currently on top of the ladder but I think
07:21Scottsdale might just get them in the end I think they've got the they've got a fair bit
07:26of experience in that team that just that just know how to get it done I think it'd be
07:30interesting towards the end of the competition but I think they might just have it well that's
07:34something for the other three teams to really pin up on their whiteboard Josh
07:37Patrish does not believe in you pin up a video well done yeah exactly you're right
07:42screenshot maybe uh Brian what about you with your division two men's and division one women
07:46well division one women I teased earlier old scotch clearly the favorite just far too good for anyone
07:52else in the comp bridge north will be the ones that if anyone's to knock them off it'll be bridge
07:56north um but division two men that's an interesting one Perth are probably the favorites
08:02um but I think what's been shown is um east coast definitely and also Edmonddale and Camberton
08:08they can both take it to Perth so Perth are the favorites but it's not over yet and I think
08:13there's a good chance of any of those four teams getting the job done so yeah so Perth is your
08:18prediction Perth is my prediction that was brilliant fence sitting I know it wasn't ever
08:21Perth is the prediction but gonna have 88 blokes standing on the blue is getting right out of a stone
08:29and for me the division one um racially I think it's impossible for anyone to go past them certainly
08:35the most consistently um you know best team in the league and it's going to be hard for any of the
08:41sides to really match up with their best uh we will quickly move on to that division uh more generally
08:48we had a really I suppose wholesome weekend um in division one men's starting off with in Cressy
08:54at the second time Bracknell have moved one of their home games there and honored the the former
08:59Cressy hot dogs um obviously you went into uh all folded back in 1999 and they used to be great
09:05rivals so it was always it's always great to see country clubs sort of get around there their
09:10neighbors like that and it was a special occasion as well for uh name is escaping Sam Luttrell
09:16Sam Luttrell we said that in unison then uh Sam Luttrell uh Cressy boy who remarkably played his
09:22hundredth senior game uh at his home home venue which is really really small chances of happening
09:28so uh well done to him and over at uh Bridge North we had the celebration of the club turning 100 years
09:36old 101 day old uh on Saturday and they had a remarkable day as well under our dance uh did not
09:42quite get up to Georgetown but the reserves the senior women and the senior men all uh got the
09:48job done and and in pretty fine style too so a great day for the Parrots and uh yeah it's good to
09:54see the the senior sides for both teams really warming into their season uh we'll finish off though
09:59Josh with uh your I think it's a segment that everyone's beginning to love um and uh I think
10:06no they they do Josh is like who of the week I suppose I'm going to preface this one by saying
10:16I'm not related to this individual that I'm giving my award to but uh this goes to Cliff Partridge who
10:22uh played it sounds funny doesn't it but we are not related uh even though it is Tasmania we've got
10:28the same last name we are not related uh Cliff played uh he started the 60th year of his hockey
10:34journey uh over the weekend or that was when it was celebrated um they kind of kept it on the
10:38down low that they'd be surprising him and when he rocked into the ground 15 minutes before the game
10:42he was overawed by the amount of people that were there and they gave a guard of honour and they
10:47really celebrated the fact that he's committed 60 years of his life to Tama Turinga Hockey Club so
10:52um congratulations Cliff uh obviously a big award there but uh a slightly bigger one here so
10:59congratulations man and that will do for our episode today uh it's been a been a massive week in sport
11:05and I think there's plenty more to come in the coming week so please make sure continue tuning
11:09in and we'll see you guys for the next one