Sounds like a pretty lovely relationship.

Can you talk to us about that a bit more? He's the man bro.

He's a good fella.

He's a good family man.

Their family is beautiful people bro.

As an individual, bro, and seeing anyone come through the game, everyone's got their own journey and everyone's chasing their own dreams, their own aspirations, chasing the best version of themselves, and Tane's no different.

He's done a great job this year.

i love the off-field side of it what have you learned about yourself off the field this year do you think because everyone looks and goes oh you know chance play more center chance can play wing chance to play fullback off the field though how have you changed

Can

you talk to us about that a bit more? He's the man bro.

He's a good fella.

He's a good family man.

Their family is beautiful people bro.

As an individual bro and seeing anyone come through the game, everyone's got their own journey and everyone's chasing their own dreams, their own aspirations, chasing the best version of themselves and Tien's no different.

He's done a great job this year.

is

Can

you talk to us about that a bit more? He's the man bro, he's a good fella, he's a good family man, their family is beautiful people bro and As an individual, bro, and seeing anyone come through the game, everyone's got their own journey and everyone's chasing their own dreams, their own aspirations, chasing the best version of themselves and Tane's no different.

He's done a great job this year.

I've actually taken a lot out of watching Tane go about his work and things that I feel like I can add to my game that he does really well and yeah, I've been really Really pumped for him and his family this year.

I think, just like any athlete, you wanna see your friends do well and he's taking his opportunity with both hands and he's playing good footy.

Off the field, though, how have you changed? Or

grown is probably a better word.

Yeah, I think I've been real proud of...

How are you feeling about Eden Park?

Yeah, I love Eden Park.

I've played there a few times, obviously, with the Kiwis, and I was just saying today that it's, it's great to be able to take a game like that to a different stadium but still be at home, and I think that's the, that's the special part about it.

Yeah

...

I think that's no different for Dallin.

He definitely brings a lot to our team, especially coming out of the backfield.

He carries like he's playing his first game, and he's trying to maintain his position, and that's just the way he plays a- plays, plays the game.

I'm not going to ask you to reveal what position you think you'll play in the semifinal, but I'd be really interested to hear how soon in the week that Andrew Webster will let you know that and what the week's preparation will look like for you guys.

Yeah, I think I went into review today and he tossed up playing 13.

So we'll see how that goes.

I don't know about the engine.

But I'll go hard for 10 and I see they get rest.

So I think he'll pull me off and put someone else on that can do a better job.

But yeah, no, I'm not too sure just yet.

So what's this week off going to look like for you and what are you passionate about?

So what is the week like? like in terms of edge and competitiveness?

Yeah, that's a really good point, bro.

Like you said, we've got depth throughout our whole squad and we're lucky to have that.

I know that a lot of squads have been challenged this year and we've had a few big injuries and I feel the boys that you've mentioned have stepped up and taken the opportunity with both hands and it's...

We drive ourselves on making sure that we have high standards and all the little things in our trainings, our short-sighted drills, our little fundamental drills, because we know that once...

the pressure's on and you're under the big lights and these thousands of fans around those fundamentals and those basics, those are what's going to keep you steady once all those things are all on top of you.

So for us, it's about making sure that we do our best with getting all the fundamentals right.

the training pitch as well?

Well, what are the big differences, you know, between playing fullback and, and filling some of the other roles in the back line as you have over the last little while?

I would say your involvement with what the team's doing.

Uh, at fullback, you're, you're probably looking at both sides of the footy in terms of attack and defense, and you actually have one of the best seats in the house.

So for me as a fullback, it's making sure that I can give information on the run to the boys so we can make those adjustments if needed, and making sure that when I do chime in, that my involvements are as positive as possible, and making sure that from a defensive point of view, that we're as, we're as, um, yeah, as solid as possible.

What, what makes him so prolific?

Oh man, it's, it's the speed, isn't it? It's something that you just can't teach, something that you, you can train, but a lot of it, that type of speed, you can't.

So that's definitely a superpower, and when he gets into space, he's, he's gone.

So I like how he's, he's finding where he can implement himself into the game and we've-- as a team, we've just gotta build around a lot of the boys' superpowers and what they bring to a squad and, and part of Lofi's is, is his speed.

Chance, being in the NRL now for nearly 10 years and you've played well over 100 games, what's kind of different for you now? How do you approach the game and your preparation and recovery and all that sort of stuff? What's kind of changed for you since you first started back in sort of 2017?

Yeah, I guess what's changed since the time that I first started is just the smarts around when to rest, when to add a bit more recovery and knowing that preparation is the key to giving yourself every opportunity to play a good game.

So those are probably the pillars just off the top of my head that I would base playing rugby league off and just taking the confidence into the game.

I remember my first ever game and I was nervous as luckily that game was at Mount Smart back then, now Go Media.

And yeah, nothing really changed.

You still get a little bit of nerves, but I guess these days as an older head, you just look back at how you've prepared and mentally know that you've done everything that you can to put your best foot forward and you can't control the results.

So whatever happens out there is what happens.

You know, looking ahead to that game, is this one that excites you?

You played a little bit of wing, but how, how much of a transition has it been just getting more familiar with the position?

Nah.

No, um, it's...

I've, I've had my, my time there, here and there over the last few years, so it's sort of not something entirely new, eh? It's, it's something that it's about building combinations with the boys that you just mentioned there, and I'm trying to chime in the best as I can.

So yeah, you would have seen that there's, um, some easy improvements for us, especially there on the backfield, and, uh, I think it's gonna be an easy fix.

Just on the last eight or so weeks, how has it been for you off the field, just dealing with that adversity and, and the way in which you've come back? How, how much have you learned about, about yourself? I guess that's footy being injured, but, um, it, it must be hard.

Yeah.

Uh, yeah, it was.

What did you make of Big Jacko's performance on Friday?

Oh, the 4x4.

Yeah, he just doesn't stop, eh? Man, he's got an engine on him, that fellow.

He's a machine, bro.

He's...

I think...

A lot of people see, a lot of people that, I guess, don't know the detail of their game don't see all the little things that Jackson does.

this has been the best and biggest preseason and you're getting a lot out of everyone from the group?

So talk us through those final moments in the game and what was said from you and the group.

Yeah, I guess in those moments there were things that that we could control that probably weren't the very best.

So for us, it was just about breaking it down to the basics and as basic as winning the first two tackles of our defensive set.

And, you know, we feel like we do basic stuff like that.

It sets up the bigger picture, which is the whole set, and we can get back into, I guess, an arm wrestle.

And for us... winning the first two tackles in defence and trying to win the first two tackles in attack is the most basic stuff to do but it's the most effective.

it's...

Yeah, it's been good.

But just washing up on what your experience of the year was, what do you make of it all now and how would you assess how the club went?

Yeah, I thought we went really well, man.

I thought we got a lot of curveballs thrown at us with personnel leaving and injuries and injuries.

We still found a way.

We were still competing.

There's a lot that we can take out of the season, especially for our younger boys.

I feel like that experience that they got this year is going to put them in good stead for next year.

How excited are you to team up with Foz, Kieran Foran again, and what influence do you see him having in the squad?