A Well-Known Name
Flying Kiwis Transfer Tracker, Blackcaps Test Batting, Kiwi-NRL Juniors in SG Ball & Welly Nix Wahine Progress
Podcast
TNC Variety Show - Episode 49
The Niche Cast: Ruapehu of Bullkaka (White Ferns, Ford Trophy, Flying Kiwis)
Reading Menu
10 Funky Kiwi-NRL Second Year Lads For 2022 (No NZ Warriors) (NRL)
All Whites vs Jordan: 10 Lessons From A 3-1 Defeat (Football)
Flying Kiwis – Deadline Day Deals With Liberato Cacace & Joe Bell (Football)
Flying Kiwis – February 1 (Football)
Checking In On How Chris Wood Is Settling At Newcastle United (Football)
What Does Progress Look Like For The Wellington Phoenix Women This Season? (Football)
Northern Blokes Are 2021/22 Super Smash Champions (via Blackcaps, Hamilton and Team-First Geezers) (Cricket)
The Many Layers Of Wellington Wahine Excellence (2021/22 Super Smash Champions) (Cricket)
2021/22 Ford Trophy: Will Young's Stacking Up Runs (Central defeat Auckland) (Cricket)
2022 Women's World Cup: Aotearoa's White Ferns Squad (Cricket)
Scotty’s Word
Blackcaps batting…
Luteru Taylor’s Test retirement has now been backed up with news that Kane Williamson’s niggly elbow continues to be an issue. Suddenly the Blackcaps are now entering a phase where they are without two of Aotearoa’s three best batters ever in a new World Test Championship cycle where the Blackcaps are 1-2-1 (1 win, 2 losses, 1 draw).
The speed at which this has become the reality puts the mind in a spin. Not long ago I was writing about the Blackcaps being the only team to make the final of the three major tournaments/events, headlined by the WTC success. A tough series in India followed and Williamson’s absence for the second Test may have flipped a switch; hearty Test draw first up, then a hefty loss without Williamson.
Bangladesh win the first Test of the Aotearoa summer. Boom, three Tests played in the WTC and two defeats. Things got put back in track in Christchurch but only after Taylor announced his retirement and *still feels amazing when remembering this* took the winning wicket in his final Test. Blackcaps Test losses have been intertwined with Williamson absences and Taylor’s retirement.
A Blackcaps Test line up of Will Young, Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell is super fresh. A good line up, just not as good as it was just over six months ago (big up BJ Watling) nor is it as good as it was only a few months ago with both Williamson and Taylor present. This batting unit sans Williamson will play a crucial role in the WTC starting with two Tests vs South Africa.
And yup, Daryl Mitchell sits in my Test batting unit. Mitchell batted #3 for Canterbury (12 off 20) in their Ford Trophy game today and let’s not forget that Mitchell’s move to open in the T20 World Cup saw Mitchell snap up the opportunity. Mitchell generally bats #4/5 when playing Plunket Shield for Canterbury and Mitchell batted #5 for Middlesex in the County Championship last year.
Just because Mitchell can bowl, don’t sleep on his batting. I view Mitchell’s batting as his strongest attribute and Blackcaps success has amplified by relying on experienced troopers ready to score Test runs. I believe Mitchell is the best option to slide into the Test line up and he can legit be the #4 or bump Henry Nicholls (didn’t play much Super Smash and missing today’s FT game) up a spot, Mitchell in at #5.
First Round of SG Ball footy…
I don’t know every single Kiwi-NRL junior, these are just notable names that pop out. This weekend is the first round of SG Ball footy in NSW and this season SG Ball is Under 19s, there is also Harold Mathews (U17) footy starting but that’s too far into the junior ranks to really break down. SG Ball is a good starting point because Kiwi-NRL juniors can finish school, then move to Australia and settle into an NRL system.
Of course some lads have been in Australia for last season and beyond. Jack Sandford won the SG Ball championship at fullback for Canberra Raiders, alongside Sione Moala who has moved up to Jersey Flegg. Sandford is joined by hooker Stanley Iongi and with Navajo Doyle named to start for Illawara Steelers (Dragons), two of the seven Auckland hookers in NRL systems are starting in SG Ball this weekend.
Salesi Ataata starts at prop for Cronulla Sharks, sparking a super funky note…
Ataata was playing centre for Otahuhu Premiers last year and now starts at prop in SG Ball. I wrote about Ataata and Semisi Sikei last year (both Otahuhu junior now with Sharks) and Sikei was starting winger for Counties Manukau in the 2020 NZRL National Premiership. Last year Sikei was starting prop for Sharks SG Ball.
Both played as outside backs vs men in Aotearoa, now playing as middle forwards in an Under 19 competition in Australia.
No sign of Benaiah Ioelu in the Roosters teams (another Auckland hooker), but they have named Cassius Tia in the halves. The more Kiwi-NRL halves the better and this pocket will be fun to follow as Aotearoa’s always struggled in the halves pocket.
Maori All Stars…
If you’re tuning into the NRL All Stars game, tap into Erin Clark who is likely to start at hooker. Big ups to Kiwi-NRL hooker stocks when seven juniors from Auckland are in NRL systems, but the short-term stocks aren’t quite as flush and Aotearoa will need back up behind Brandon Smith.
Jeremy Marshall-King got this opportunity last year, playing alongside older bro Benji for Maori All Stars. Clark has quietly been brewing with GC Titans, playing 10 games in 2020 and then 19 games last season. Not bad for a bloke who fell off the radar after his NZ Warriors debut in 2017, then went from Manurewa Marlins prems to Titans NRL in less than a year.
All Stars footy is fun. If you want to follow a bloke who has a lot to play for, then watch Clark closely and perhaps this will lead you to a deeper venture into the Aotearoa Titans.
Wildcard’s Notebook
Flying Kiwis Transfer Tracker
Great quote here from the Empoli Sporting Director Pietro Accardi on the Liberato Cacace transfer:
“Initially we weren't looking for a full-back but we have always been vigilant because during the transfer market. You need flexibility and to be ready for something that wasn’t planned. We knew that [Riccardo] Marchizza was being talked about by other teams but we did not want to intervene in that department until the injury that forced us to do so arrived. Within the squad we know we have flexible players who could still fill that role, but at the in the end we decided to take a pure full-back like Cacace.
The name is perhaps unknown to you but in the football scene it is a well-known name. We have been following him for some time, we have seen that he has grown a lot in recent years and today there was the possibility of signing him. I can say that he fits the expectations of an Empoli player: he is young, he has perspective, characteristics that go very well with Andreazzoli's football philosophies. And when I talked to the boy, I found him ready to start, with the dream of playing in Italy and happy to do it in Empoli because he knew the history of this city and of this club.”
Yeah so Riccardo Marchizza is their first choice left-back, a fella in on loan from Sassuolo, but he suffered an anterior cruciate injury in their most recent game which will keep him out for the rest of the season. That was the impetus for Empoli going after Cacace as late in the window as they did – he would not have been an immediate target until that injury was confirmed with a week left before the deadline.
But fascinating to see Accardi speak of Cacace as a “well-known name” within the football scene. Football scouting is pretty intense at top flight clubs. If you’re playing regularly in any decent European top division aged under 24 then people at least know who you are.
As written about in last Monday’s Substack mailer, Victoria Esson has been spending a bit of time around SC Sand during their winter break friendlies. Esson is off contract after her time with Avaldsnes and featured in a friendly match for SC Sand a few weeks back. Now she’s officially signed on for the rest of the season.
The Bundesliga club were on the lookout for goalies after their regular starter, Sasmine Pal, suffered a season-ending ACL injury earlier in the month and the club also has a bit of a habit of turning towards kiwi players with Betsy Hassett, Rebekah Stott, and Paige Satchell all having featured for them in past seasons. In comes Vic Esson and there ya go.
SC Sand coach Alexander Fischinger: “We can, in terms of the goalkeeper position, be confident heading into the second half of the season, that we have three top ranked players here.”
Esson has her work cut out though. SC Sand have only taken 2 points from their first 12 fixtures and are only clear of last-place thanks to goal difference. With a 9-point buffer between them and safety it kinda looks like a formality that they’ll be going down... but you never know. Esson helped Avaldsnes stay safe in Norway last year.
The other thing is that after Esson played that one friendly, existing backup keeper Sarah-Lisa Dübel appears to have gotten the games since. That could be because she needs them more, dunno. SLD is a young German keeper signed after returning to her homeland after attending university in America whereas Esson is a fully-capped international who may been seen as more of a plug-and-play option. The only quote in her signing announcement translates as the coach talking it up how they have three quality options in the position so there’s no guarantee of games. But this is probably only a six-month stint anyway given their relegation predicament.
Which is something that Hannah Wilkinson did this time a year ago. Signed with MSV Duisburg, wasn’t able to save them from the inevitable drop, but she did play some games and score some goals and find some form that she was subsequently able to take to Melbourne City where she’s currently the A-League’s top scorer. Good to have a kiwi woman back in the Bundesliga once again. There had been at least two in each of the last four seasons and the last Bundesliga term without a kiwi woman would’ve been at least a decade ago.
Another USL signing. Deklan Wynne missed more than two years of his career due to injury and being out of favour at two different clubs but he finally got a run of games for OKC Energy last season on loan. The OKC Energy aren’t even gonna enter a team this year, taking a season off because their home stadium (which is owned by a public schooling agency) is undergoing renovations. And... apparently they can’t find anywhere else to play? Bit of a weird one.
Not that it matters because Wynne’s signed with Detroit City for the 2022 USL term. The fifth kiwi to have signed on with a USL Championship team this year. Curious that they seemed to have focussed on his South African side.
Look who’s ready to rock in winter break training camp with his new squad, shout out Joe Bell...
Overall there were 21 major transfers that took place over kiwi footballers during January. Talking about fully professional destinations here, 21 one of the lil beauts. That includes at least four transfers involving a fee – Chris Wood commanding the highest transfer fee ever spent on a New Zealander while Joe Bell and Libby Cacace (supposing they take up the permanent option at the end of the season) both cost cold currency and there was allocation money involved in Ali Riley’s trade too. That’s a bit more like symbolic money but it still has that value. Michael Woud was under contract with Almere City too so presumably there might have been a fee there as well. Here’s the list...
Logan Rogerson | HJK (Finland) -> FC Haka (Finland) | 1 January [Free]
Michael Woud | Almere City (Netherlands) -> Kyoto Sanga (Japan) | 4 January [Undisclosed]
Kyle Adams | Real Monarchs (USA) -> San Diego Loyal (USA) | 5 January [Free]
Nikko Boxall | SJK (Finland) -> San Diego Loyal (USA) | 5 January [Free]
Elliot Collier | Chicago Fire (USA) -> San Antonio FC (USA) | 7 January [Free]
Chris Wood | Burnley FC (England) -> Newcastle United (England) | 13 January [£25m]
Dalton Wilkins | FC Helsingør (Denmark) -> Kolding IF (Denmark) | 13 January [Free]
Alex Greive | Birkenhead Utd (NZ) -> St Mirren (Scotland) | 18 January [Free]
Ollie Whyte | Miramar Rangers (NZ) -> FC Haka (Finland) | 21 January [Free]
Katie Bowen | Kansas City Currents (USA) -> North Carolina Cougage (USA) | 21 January [Free]
Marko Stamenic | FC København (Denmark) -> HB Køge (Denmark) | 26 January [Loan]
Otto Ingham, Robert Sabo & Kees Sims | Western Suburbs (NZ) -> Ljungskile SK (Sweden) | 27 January [Free]
Ali Riley | Orlando Pride (USA) -> Angel City FC (USA) | 27 January [Trade]
Deklan Wynne | Phoenix Rising (USA) -> Detroit City FC | 28 January [Free]
Myer Bevan | Auckland City (NZ) -> Cavalry FC (Canada) | 29 January [Free]
Zac Jones | Miramar Rangers (NZ) -> Haverfordwest County (Wales) | 30 January [Free]
Liberato Cacace | STVV (Belgium) -> Empoli (Italy) | 31 January [Loan/€3m Option]
Joe Bell | Viking FK (Norway) -> Brøndby IF (Denmark) | 31 January [€2m est]
Victoria Esson | Avaldsnes (Norway) -> SC Sand (Germany) | 31 January [Free]
Incredible quantities. There’s never been a window like this for Aotearoa football. And what’s more is that you’re well entitled to scan up and down that list and ask: “but what about...?” because there are still several free agents still unaccounted for.
Winston Reid first and foremost, still waiting to see if he’ll sign with whatever UAE team he’s been training with or if something else will come along. CJ Bott left Vålerenga a couple months ago and hasn’t popped up anywhere else yet. Noah Billingsley was released by Minnesota United, hopefully he can find a club where he actually gets some opportunities. Rosie White was also let go by OL Reign in the NWSL while Daisy Cleverley and Jacqui Hand both (scandalously) went undrafted. Joel Stevens wasn’t re-signed by Värnamo after their promotion in Sweden. Not sure what Max Mata’s up to since Real Monarchs have been reassigned to the new MLS Next Pro division (compatriot Kyle Adams has already left the club), his contract was only for the 2021 season. And since most women’s contracts are only for one/two years at a time, you hope that Emma Rolston will be back with Arna-Bjørnar this year but can’t take it for granted until there’s confirmation.
By the way, Erin Nayler was announced by Umeå IK in Sweden a couple months back missing out on the January buzz but her preseason will be starting soon-ish so worth reminding y’all of that deal too.
Welly Nix Wahine
Just written a thing about the Phoenix Women’s state of affairs. A few heartbreaking defeats lately perhaps clouding over the fact that they continue to make solid progress, getting better with more exposure to this level. Like, if they were losing 3-0 every week then we wouldn’t be feeling so gutted with each defeat. The fact that they’re letting games slip in the final ten minutes... that means that they’re taking games into the final ten minutes which is progress in an of itself. Anyway, I drew up a few funky graphs for that piece and this was my favourite...
Chloe Knott’s goal on Monday was a great example of the high press working to full effect. That’s been a tactic from game one and it’s why Knott, primarily a midfielder, has found herself playing centre-forward for this team. I’ll be honest that I’m not fully convinced she’s more effective in that role than she would be in central midfield (don’t think we’ll see her play CM tonight in the absence of Grace Wisnewski but it’s a possibility) but that’s beside the point. This is how Gemma Lewis wants them to play and her goal was a beautiful example of pressuring the opposition in their defensive areas, winning the ball back, and then capitalising (even if she totally shanked the shot... miss-hitting it enough that she accidentally wrong-footed the keeper – Knott’s relieved reaction was golden).
Again, giving her credit for the finish is a bit much, lol. But good things happen when you put opposition teams under pressure. She created room for that bit of luck with her excellent off-the-ball awareness and intensity. And it’s not only in these attacking areas where we see that. Central defenders Kate Taylor and Mackenzie Barry are both superb in the challenge and they won’t sit back and hesitate either. The Nix defend aggressively across the park. Isabel Gomez and Grace Wisnewski are absolute fiends in the midfield.
Hence you can see from that graph, looking at the passing success rates of the teams that they’ve played so far, a large dollop of encouragement. They’re playing in the same style as always but are breaking things up and winning back possession with more regularity.
Gotta mention that the fixtures have gotten easier since the Sydney/Melbourne City stage of the season but that’s how fixture lists often go. They got their toughest games out of the way with. Melbourne Victory tonight is probably their toughest match left. After that it’s Canberra, Adelaide, Western Sydney, and Perth. All four of those games are winnable if they can play the way they have in each of the last three first halves and then sustain those levels for the second half too.
Anyway, read the article for more on these ideas.