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In episode 93 of The Press Box, the sports team discusses the feud between the Launceston Tornadoes and the North West Thunder as they contest a NBL1 South licence. Video by Aaron Smith and Craig George (3/7/25)
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00:00Welcome, one and all, to an episode of the Press Box. My name is Ben Hand. You're alongside me
00:11once again is Ryan Bentley and Josh Partridge here for another big week in Northern Tasmanian
00:17sport. But before we get into any of that, it's time for everyone's favourite segment,
00:21and numerology. Now, a big, big, big few days in Northern Tasmanian sport. We've got a bit of
00:35controversy, some political areas with some election commitments. We've got AFL coming back
00:43to Lonnie once again, and plenty more where that came from as well. And probably top of the pile
00:48is, of course, what's going on unfolding in the NBL One South with Launceston Tornadoes
00:55and the Northwest Thunder. We will get into that in detail coming up, but I suppose to keep it
01:01topical this week, the important number in Tasmanian sport is obviously episode 93. The Tornadoes
01:07were in fact formed in 1993. So just thought we'd get that one in there. Straight down the line,
01:14no stretch today, mate. Very simple. Yeah, just thought we definitely weren't searching for half
01:19an hour looking for anything else. It was as soon as we saw it, we went, yeah, that's the one. So
01:24no, there is plenty to talk about here. It's a situation that I don't think anyone really
01:29wanted to find themselves in. We've got what is turning into a fairly public feud between the two
01:36clubs. Clear, wholehearted even difference of opinions about how the two clubs should move
01:42forward, given that there is a changing of the NBL One South license. Ryan, can you tell us a bit
01:49more about what's going on here? Well, we received a statement Saturday night from the Tornadoes,
01:54a fairly lengthy statement, kind of outlining the situation as it is at the moment. So when Basketball
01:59Victoria took over NBL One South in 2018, they made it clear that the Northwest Thunder
02:03and the Launceston Tornadoes would at some stage have to come together as one entity under
02:09one license. So at the moment they operate as two licenses and they play at different venues
02:14which Basketball Victoria doesn't really like because it costs all the Victorian clubs extra
02:19to travel. So the time has come now. Basketball Victoria has requested that only one license
02:26will be given out to Northern Tasmania and unfortunately it seems that the Tornadoes and
02:31the Thunder haven't been able to reach an agreement on how they do that together. So at this stage
02:35the Thunder and the Tornadoes will be putting separate license bids in for having both a men's
02:40and women's team and given there seems to be a bit of bad blood between the two of them,
02:45it doesn't really seem as if the two teams might come together in some sort of North-Northwest
02:50situation. Yeah, just to quickly add to that, so for those at home who might be a bit confused
02:57about the situation, there is one license at the moment but there are two signatories. So
03:02effectively it's a club split into two. So the difference here is there will only be one
03:08signatory which means they can't, as you say, play at different venues, have to play at the same place
03:11which means less home games or less games in their specific region and that's I suppose where the
03:17different opinions. Josh, as someone or the person on the panel here who is from this region and has
03:23lived here all his life, I suppose how big of a moment potentially is this for people in Launceston?
03:30Yeah, it's pretty crazy. Like as you said, the Torns have been around since 93. I've been around
03:34since 99. So the Torns have always been a part of Launceston while I've been here and yeah, I grew up
03:40going to Tornadoes games and things like that. So it's pretty crazy to think that that could all be
03:45gone. Like this weekend could be their last ever home game in Launceston, which is, it's scary to
03:51think because it's been a perfect part of the pathway for Northern and Northwest Tasmanian
03:58basketballers. You think of players like Micah Simpson who have started at the Torns and then
04:03gone elsewhere, played in WNBL premierships and things like that. So it's massive. It's sad.
04:11That's what it is. I think it's really sad that it's gotten to this point because as you said,
04:15Ryan, it's been on the cards for seven years now. So it's genuinely disappointing that it's
04:21gotten to this point and it's going to be hard to see which way the Basketball Victoria might
04:27go.
04:28Yeah, so once again, add to that is Basketball Victoria and Basketball Tasmania for that matter
04:33have both said we are not going to interfere with how these clubs come to their decisions.
04:38They are there effectively for the guidelines. Vic Basketball Tasmania released a statement
04:42Monday morning saying that they would support a bid that follows a certain criteria, which
04:51effectively was a criteria that helps and benefits both regions. It doesn't appear to be that's
04:57what's going to be the case at this stage. I suppose, Ryan, I'm going to ask you a quick
05:03question. We can, you know, all three of us discuss this, but what do you think is next
05:10here? What do you think, you know, for the viewers who maybe are like, okay, so what does
05:16this all mean? What is going to happen next?
05:19So we understand that the bids need to be submitted by July 18th. So there's another couple of weeks
05:25here where something may happen where the two clubs might see reason and come together
05:30and have a ceasefire and say, hey, maybe actually instead of jeopardising the whole northern region
05:36for basketball, let's actually come to an agreement. But August 8th, I believe, is the day that
05:42Basketball Victoria will decide who gets the licence. So we wait till then basically to see
05:47what happens. Yeah. And I suppose, like I spoke to Mandy Gibson, who is unique in this situation
05:55where she was a premiership player with the Launceston Tornadoes. I mean, the family is a
05:59household name in northern Tasmanian basketball, but equally has a son, Logan, who currently plays
06:05for the Northwest Thunder. So she's not exactly anti-Northwest Thunder either. And I think that's
06:12her main lament out of all this is that, you know, it's almost classic Tasmanian parochialism,
06:20isn't it? Getting in the way where it is a bit of a North versus Northwest. I want this. I don't
06:26want you to have that sort of thing. And it's not the first time, probably the last time we see
06:31it potentially come against unity, which is, I think, what a lot of people want. It's certainly
06:37what the Tornadoes want. But I should also caveat that by saying the Northwest Thunder have their
06:43own reasons. They believe that a mix and match style does not work financially. They believe,
06:51you know, less home games means less sponsorship. It means more travel. It also means a club that
06:56maybe loses its identity and maybe one that won't be supported as well. And he pretty much said,
07:03look, I will, if the decision comes to that, you know, the decision is made, the clubs join,
07:12he will make sure that that process can be facilitated, but he will not be a part of what
07:17goes on there. And I dare say, likewise, the opposite if he goes the other way.
07:24And just quickly on the Thunder's behalf, they obviously felt pretty blindsided by the fact
07:27that the Tornadoes went incredibly public with this. The Tornadoes, as Ryan said Saturday,
07:32we got a statement from the Tornadoes saying, look, this is where things are at. And it threw
07:36the Thunder under the bus pretty heavily. And I think, yeah, they felt incredibly blindsided
07:41by the fact that their discussions were made very public, very quickly. So it's just been
07:47a murky situation all around for the last couple of days.
07:50Yeah. Then you add in, you know, Keely Froehling, her comments, she's absolutely allowed to have
07:54her opinion on the matter. I don't think that should be denied, but you can't imagine that
07:59has made too many friends amongst the Northwest Coast board. So interesting to see how that
08:05all plays out. But we got to move on as quickly as we can to the AFL. That was the other big
08:11thing that happened on Saturday. Unfortunately, not quite as close a game as what we've seen
08:16in the first two games, Joshua. It is 50 points better than the last time North Melbourne came
08:20back. But yeah, take us through, you know, what unfolded on Saturday.
08:25Yeah, UTAS Stadium isn't a good stomping ground for North Melbourne. Nearly said North Launceston
08:32there. That would have been quite funny.
08:33Untrue.
08:34Yeah, so the last two times that they've been at UTAS, they've lost by a combined 210 points. So
08:40yeah, 85 point loss for the Roos this time against the Hawks. The Hawks were just too strong
08:45in the contest and just dismantled them, really. And that's what the Kangaroos have been really
08:50good at over the last eight weeks, really strong in the contest. And the Hawks were just too
08:54good. And it was a pretty big day, really, for Launceston. Outside of the game, it was
08:58announced that at least six games will be played of AFL here in Launceston in 2028, once the
09:03Devils come in. Well, that's what the Liberals have committed to if they are re-elected come
09:10July 19th. So yeah, and it was really, really good. We talked to coach Sam Mitchell after
09:16the game about it. He acted unaware of it. I don't know whether he was or not. But he
09:21was really obviously keen as the coach of Hawthorne to see them stay and have a commitment
09:25to Launceston. And as they're obviously, they win 75, 80% of matches down here. So as the
09:30coach, why would you not want to? But it was interesting. He had his family in the press
09:34conference as well. They were kind of sitting back listening and they were all here, obviously.
09:37They did gorge walks and all this kind of thing while they've been down here. So kind
09:42of showed what Tasmania means to not just the club, but the individuals at the club as
09:46well.
09:47And yeah, that will bring us on to what is obviously the landmark moment of this show.
09:52Of course, that is Haney's Hard Hitters.
09:55Now, yeah, so on that six-game commitment from Liberal Party, we believe that's going
10:08to be split four games for the Devils, two games for the Hawks at this stage. Obviously,
10:12there's a lot to play out with all of that before that becomes a reality. But the question
10:17with that in mind is having six games in Launceston split like that between the two clubs, is that
10:24a good or a bad deal for the Devils?
10:26If it is split like that, I think it's a good deal. The conspiracy theorist in a lot
10:31of people is that that split could change. It could change that to get as much use out
10:37of the new stadium as possible. It could go four to the Hawks, two to the Devils, things
10:41like that. So if it is split that way, in that the Devils play more of the six, I think
10:47it's a really good deal for Launceston and the state as a whole. But yeah, it's the,
10:53obviously, the Devils are in the detail at the moment and it'll be interesting to see
10:56how things get fined out.
10:58And you, Ron?
10:59Yeah, it can't be a bad thing, I don't think. More football for Launceston. Obviously,
11:03everyone, hospitality, everyone will love that. And I think having football, more football
11:09being played as opposed to other sports potentially entering into Launceston, I think that benefits
11:14the Devils as well as they try and establish their brand.
11:17I'm going to zag a little bit on you here, Ron. I think the Devils have made it very clear
11:21they don't want the Hawks still playing the state when they're here. And I think keeping
11:25them with two games a season is not good necessarily for the Devils business, you know, bottom line.
11:33That means that the Hawks continue a pretty large presence in the North of State where they're
11:37already really well loved. And I think it may just be, you know, it might not be massive,
11:42but it's a little difference in whether the kid at Riverside High School or primary school
11:47is going for the Hawks or going for the Devils. Obviously, the Launceston community is massive
11:53winners out of it, should that be the case. But yeah, certainly a lot more to play out.
11:59And I think the Hawks are very big winners.
12:02You've got your Devils colours on literally and figuratively today with that statement there.
12:06Exactly right. And very quickly, because it has been an action-packed show, but we need
12:11to go on to a segment that just continues to rise. We get stopped in the street once a day
12:16at least, asking how, what do I need to do to be a part of this segment? And that is, of
12:21course, Joshua's local hero of the week.
12:24Well, the simple answer for this one, Ben, is you need to kick three goals for St. Pats
12:34women against Hillwood to win your side, your first game at your home ground. So the local
12:39hero of the week this week is Hayley Kelly, who did just that. So St. Pats created a 92-point
12:45turnaround from when they last played Hillwood. Obviously a massive thing for the club to win
12:50their first game. And I've heard that Hayley was in tears after the match because of how
12:54good the performance was from the team. Well, she's going to be in even more tears now that
12:58she has just been given Josh's local hero of the week. So congratulations, Hayley, and
13:02congratulations to St. Pats football club.
13:04Well, it's sort of bringing you to tears once again, Hayley. But on that note, we better wrap
13:09it up. Thank you guys for watching. We'll see you guys for the next one.
13:20We'll see you guys for the next one.
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