Transcript
DUANE JERARD: We're looking at a price-tag of about $70,000 which is a lot of money and talking with the boys it's all about saving our pennies and paying for everything ourselves so we're out here and hoping that people can see us play and see the enthusiasm that we bring to the game so that we can get some sponsors in place...Some of the guys are 16 or 17, plus the older fellas have got families and stuff like that, so it's going to be a massive ask to find all that money ourselves - plus the time away from work as well, it's going to be a tough one.
VINNIE WYLIE: Obviously sponsors help ease the financial burden. Certainly some of the money regardless is going to come out of the own players' pockets but are you definitely going? Is Samoa definitely going, it's just a case of how much support and sponsorship you can get, or is it still not a definite that you'll be there?
DJ: It's not a definite by any means. A 16/17 year old trying to find $7,000 to go to a tournament is a massive ask, massive.
VW: And so what sort of deadline do you put on yourself - when do you have to know you've got enough money or know you've got enough time to raise some funds to get you there?
DJ: At this stage we'd probably have to say we're not going to make it and we're going to have to target the next one. It's pretty much like that and that's the way it had to be because you have to go over with a lot of organisation and stuff like that and if money is an issue to start with, well we're not going to go much further.
VW: Have there been any enquiries to the Samoa government or any other avenues like that?
DJ: From what I understand there's always talks between people but I don't know too much about that side of things. I took over this year basically with two weeks to go and it was a matter of someone's just got to put their hand up and say I'll do it, just so everything else is taken care of, if you know what I mean?
VW: Pretty gruelling 11 games in five days [at the Challenge Cup] but I imagine you don't get too many opportunities to play these sorts of tournaments and these sorts of teams that often?
DJ: Oh absolutely. Like regardless of no pitching, lack of players, anything, we're going to it because it's the only opportunity Samoa gets to put something together.
A couple of guys drove up from Wellington on Tuesday night, we met Tuesday night and had a dinner and a briefing and we were playing the next day.
VW: What have you learned about this team?
DJ: They've got a lot of heart, a lot of pride. We lost one game 18-0 - I had to come in and pitch just to finish the game off, just to give my pitchers a breather, it doesn't phase them in any way. It is what it is - they have to take it with a grain of salt - so if it means losing a game like that and then coming out the next day and losing to Aussie 4-2 then that's how we have to roll because without top quality pitching and games under our belt we were always going to struggle.
