Crossword Genius

Mine work on eleven gutless players (4-4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

open-cast

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'mine' is the definition.
(mining minerals from the surface)

'work on eleven gutless players' is the wordplay.
'work on' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus. I am not sure about the 'on' bit.).
'gutless' means to remove the middle letters.
'players' becomes 'cast' (group of actors).
'eleven' with its centre taken out is 'en'.
'op'+'en'+'cast'='OPEN-CAST'

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I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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