Sam joined us to preview the huge game today, his passion for state footy, and much more!
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SEN Tassie
Sam Siggins ahead of Tasmania's clash with Queensland (22.6.24)
This episode is brought to you by Honda. When you test drive the all new Prolog EV, there's a lot that can impress you about it. There's the class leading passenger space, the clean, thoughtful design, and the intuitive technology. But out of everything, what you'll really love most is that it's a Honda. Visit Honda.com/ev to see offers. This is Saturday's IntazZ with David Lickott and Brett Jeeves. It's a wide open road, it's a wide open road. Great tapping with us this morning, David Lickott and Brett Jeeves with you talking all the big topics around the country and in the Apple aisle. We're heading to Queensland now where the absolute star of the game this time last year at Tasmania versus Queensland, BOG, Sam Sigans has joined us. How you going Sam? This must be fun. You've left the seven or eight degrees top down here to 22-23, no rain life must be pretty good. Good morning boys. Yeah, I lost. Good up here. It's T-shirts on. It's nice and warm up here and just having some breakfast and yeah, just about to get ready for the day ahead so looking forward to it. How are you feeling about it, Sammy? It must be pretty exciting. I know how much thrill the guys got out of the game last year and the several of those players backing up again, of course, but has it got that bit of extra anticipation again for you? Yeah, it's definitely an exciting time especially for Tazzy footy with the future moving forward and a potential VFL side coming in as well as a core group of guys here which are excited to represent Tazzy and obviously last year was a huge success for us and we've probably got half the side, half the side of fighting the game last year and then we've got a lot of younger guys in the side as well which hopefully could be a part of that VFL side moving forward as well so certainly if I was over here and would be nothing better than to beat Queensland two times I'm sure. Sammy, the addition of Andrew Phillips into the team is obviously a big one both in height because he is a huge man and also just from a straight talent IQ perspective, what's he been able to bring to training in terms of leaderships and education to some of the young players? Yeah, Flip is massive, obviously I get to play with him at Law it alone, I get to see first hand the knowledge he brings to us down there but also the state side point of view. He's helped a lot of guys here and I think the mid some other clubs that are looking forward to hopefully rev and some of his tap work and hopefully he makes it just for the Queensland today and we can get a win because I think that will be a very important part of the game inside the contest Queensland's a bit more of an outside style of 40 so if we can get on top in the middle I certainly think you can go a long way but I still win the game. When you look at the Queensland team and you've done a bit of scouting across the last little period, no doubt, who's the concern, who do you have to shut down? Yeah, so the main one for us is there's a few of us, I've always surprised but Liam Dawson off half back, he's one of the words looked at closely, he sets them up off half back and he's an innocent player and wants to move the ball quick and he's good by foot so yeah we need to make sure on top of that early and not allow him to the innocent mark because it's going to allow that, it's going to be a tough day for us because I'll set up that offense off that so yeah hopefully we're smart the way we move the ball forward and yeah hopefully with the quill he's an impact. How do you look at the team Sammy, I mean there is probably half the guys that back again, I mean you've strident away from memory care and a level out of injury last year so he missed, he gets a chance back in the Tezi colors. Yeah yeah Keira, obviously a class player and yeah it's massive to have him play this year. He missed out, it was a way out last year and yes he and becoming to the sides, massive for us. Yeah he'll start in the center bounce I'm sure Keira's going to have a big day and I reckon Slipper, we're putting a few there and he's trying to reckon it would be pretty exciting I reckon. Brett asked me about in terms of the team just to find a little bits and pieces of the end players and there is players from outside the team so of course Jake Hines, very familiar to everybody of course now he's out at Bridge North, he's seen a bit of a snapshot and I've talked about this a couple of times with you about you know this VFL team in maybe it's still two years away, who knows, is it 2026 but can you start to get a sense of how it'll look in time and then start to have this team that plays every week. Yeah I definitely can, I can see this is a great opportunity and a springboard into that VFL program for sure. I think we're spoken about it in-house and obviously we all don't really know what the future holds with it all but yeah hopefully we can get a VFL side in the next two years and I guess this is the foundation of that and it can build a bit of a culture and if you can get a core grip of guys in an environment like this where they can become better footballers and I think it's going to hold them in good stead to hopefully play VFL for their state when that comes in and be a part of that I guess foundation of the 30-40 club so yeah I definitely think this is massive and this is all a part of it and yeah the guys are certainly enjoying it that's for sure. Sammy when you think about State of Origin, Victoria, South Australia, the great games of years past that concept got shut down during the middle of seasons through risk of injury and obviously the way professional football evolved when you scar that back into the situation you're in at the moment. How supportive are the clubs of this concept, it's mid-season, their best players heading off to play in a game that it's impossible for you to look at this game and go hey you know what I'm going to run out at 70% here absolutely not you're representing a map it's a huge game so you're going full tilt are the clubs concerned at all about this do you think or are they fully supportive and that Tasmanian representation is the key to all this? Yeah I can't speak too much for the other clubs I know from my club point of view they're fully supportive of this program and obviously we've got a lot of our sixth and coaches today our coaches are the two so far so they're fully supportive of this and I know how much it means to us players and obviously for them as coaches as well they have made a lot to them to be able to help to coach Coach Meiner and I think at the end of the day it's only a positive for their players because we get better even if the guys are in the squad that don't play today they're still going to get better as footballs because they're training in a professional environment it's obviously a lot higher intensity when they're surrounded by quality players so I think it can only benefit the players and obviously the clubs as well when they go back to their clubs I felt like last year and showed when we tried as a high intensity we went back to a pretty club you performed at a better level because you were trying at a higher level so I think the clubs are definitely supportive of it and yeah well Brett what do you think in terms of Sam he's 30 in March so two years time give me a percentage out of 100 what chance do you think that 32 year old Sam's Higgins will we want to be playing with this fair filter put me on the spot here well I'm going a thousand thousand out of 100 I'm going with a thousand I would say a hundred percent and probably because you need and we've spoken to Sam about this before you need Sam's leadership leadership comes in many forms and I think for Sam the way in which he's been able to regroup you know from the AFL experience and come back and be a mature leader you know quite often we think about sports leaders as the absolute pinnacle those that you Chris Jards and Gary Abbott juniors and seniors are the only people that can provide leadership because they're the best Sam's been able to go the other way and sort of work on his experience and filter that down the line to his young players so I think you need Sam's Higgins as part of that team so I'm running with a hundred percent I went with a thousand have we missed out that if we go on the wrong here is there Sammy now I have to wait until you also get I'm getting older I'm 30 now but yeah certainly something I'd be definitely open to do if it you say two years time I don't know how the body be tracking into time but yeah I'd certainly jump for the opportunity that did get a rise and yeah well there's an important role there Sam isn't there in terms of you know like even Brad Cox good years can be a yard and half sloth in his best and he would admit that too in two years time but you still need these leadership dudes if you like to actually help set this new club up and I think that's sort of part of this whole journey I think that's where someone like yourself will be invaluable well Sam can you can you do me a favor when people ask you this question moving forward the answer is yes let's straight up because I think importantly like David said there are going to be some really cool jobs opening up in this devil's program and the managers hat on now no well look I just think importantly you know Sam your skill set and your experiences and your ability to connect to young people is the type of person that that club needs to help set the foundation so from now I'm moving forward it's a yes and I'm super excited I love Tasmania and I can't wait to be a part of it forever hey listen let's focus on today for 30 seconds you're coming home with the victory yeah I certainly feel like we can play the fully well applied yet we can come away with a win I think yeah it's two different comparisons in terms of the way fully spied from Quasar Tadi fully and I think we can be tough around the contest I think we can get the job done for sure and give us just one name and maybe it's not even quite the familiar name of local footy today that you're expecting just in a couple of weeks of training who might really step up at the next level yeah there's a young guy from North Frances and Harvey Griffiths leading the Hudson Hudson Middle East yeah he's got the boys is all cognitive name in the rock star or even the wizard he's got a lot of tricks got a lot of tricks many bag and he can kick gals some special gals and take the hang of so he's someone to watch that for sure Sammy all the best for them mate thanks for coming on especially as your eggs got cold in the time that we've spoken and all the best in go and get them up the map no ice boys take that me on let's go to the news and we'll come back shortly.