Ample Preparation
NRLWahine Grand Final, Late Season Flying Kiwis Goggles, Aotearoa Kiwis fullback meditations, Steven Adams milestones & Matt Garbett at Torino
Podcast
The Niche Cast: Double Banger Mop
Reading Menu
Footy Ferns vs the ‘Tildas: Game One, Shell-Shocked (Football)
27fm Album Jukebox – March 2022 (Music)
Scotty’s Word
NRLWahine Grand Final…
Roosters defeated Dragons in yesterday’s NRLW Grand Final and unfortunately for Dragons, this game swung in favour of Roosters when centre Page McGregor left the field with an arm injury. Page is the younger sister of Kiwi-Ferns halfback Raecene McGregor and while both were born and raised in Sydney, Page apparently wants to join Raecene in representing Aotearoa.
In covering Aotearoa sports we are always learning and the NRLWahine beat had me learning about a new Kiwi-NRL player each week. I learned about Tiana Raftstrand-Smith and Destiny Brill who are now in the Queensland squad. I learned about Manurewa junior Jocephy Daniels who played for Eels. The McGregor whanau also offered plenty to learn as Raecene continues to bubble as the best undercover half in the world, while Page blew my mind in her 54mins yesterday.
Page is listed as 160cm and 64kg - she looked like the smallest player on the field yesterday. Starting at centre, Page grabbed her 4th try assist of the season in setting up Kiwi Ferns winger Madison Bartlett for her 5th try (most in NRLW). Page had 7 runs for 71m @ 10.14m/run and made 11 tackles with no misses … as the smallest wahine on ground.
Roosters scored a try right after Page left the field and my Kiwi-NRL bias had me feeling like Dragons lost the game when Page departed. As long as Page wants to represent Aotearoa Kiwi Ferns, I reckon she is among the top-17 players and her gritty, niggly, classy style of footy makes up for her smaller size - thus she could adapt to international footy.
Honey Hireme and Jules Newman last started at centre for Kiwi Ferns. Hireme is now retired and I don’t know what Newman is up to. Page McGregor is now a Kiwi Ferns centre candidate and Jocephy Daniels could be in the mix there too, while Bartlett is a starting Kiwi Ferns winger for sure.
Roosters won the NRLWahine championship with a trio of Aotearoa wahine. Leianne Tufuga popped out of nowhere to emerge as a monster on the wing for Roosters having switch from Auckland rugby to league in Australia. Given that NRLWahine is the highest level of women’s rugby league other than rep footy, Tufuga has to be alongside Bartlett as the leading Kiwi Ferns wingers.
Raecene was slick in the GF too despite watching her younger sister leave the field and Mya Hill-Moana played her role nicely as a big bopper through the middle. This Roosters trio sum up Kiwi-NRL wahine nicely as Tufuga has the cross-code Auckland vibe, Hill-Moana is a young phenom from Waikato and Raecene is the Kiwi Fern veteran.
There is a wahine World Cup later this year which has me curious about how the Kiwi Ferns will look. There is another NRLWahine season this year too which should feature a greater Kiwi-NRL presence, while there were still enough wahine who want to represent Aotearoa for a top-17. I’ve seen the likes of Teuila Fotu-Moala and Kanyon Paul in the NZRL Women’s Premiership, providing another avenue for wahine talent.
I was pondering how to rank some of these Aotearoa wahine teams, but most sit in the same pocket and that’s the nugget. Each sport has a different context so this is all very general, but the positive is that this is a massive area of growth for Aotearoa sport (and folks like The Niche Cache who cover bloke/wahine sport as best as we can).
Kiwi Ferns last played in 2020 against Samoa. Australia runs women’s rugby league and Aotearoa is a wee way behind.
White Ferns … well we know what happened there.
Black Ferns went to Europe late last year to lose all four games, conceding 35+ points in three games and 29 in the other. While scoring 15 points or less in all four games.
Football Ferns are on the rise but in the world of wahine football, they aren’t major factors.
Kiwi Ferns only have Australia ahead of them, but there is a lack of games to catch a vibe. White Ferns have played the most games but were horribly managed. Black Ferns were smoked in Europe and Football Ferns have a positive twist despite losing. This is too muddled for rankings but I will add that this is very different to my post-Olympic beat in which I highlighted the excellence of Lydia Ko, Valerie Adams, Lisa Carrington and Black Ferns Sevens.
The Four Ferns teams have individual excellence for sure. More importantly, apart from White Ferns they have paths forward with World Cups looming. Two more World Cups touching Aotearoa soil, plus Rugby League World Cups to celebrate international rugby league.
Aotearoa Kiwis fullback…
Kiwi-NRL meditations have led me to ponder who the best Aotearoa Kiwis fullback is, or the lack of depth in this specific position. Aotearoa has depth in most positions and Kiwi-NRL growth is evident in having halves depth, as opposed to all the randoms who used to play halves for Aotearoa. Hooker is a bit sketchy behind Brandon Smith but there are at least Erin Clark (also Samoa) and Jeremy Marshall-King as full time NRL hookers, while Kodi Nikorima is a lovely bench option behind Smith.
Fullback though. Starford To’a played fullback for Tigers yesterday but that wasn’t because Tigers/Kiwis coach Michael Maguire loves To’a as Daine Laurie had a flu drama prior to kick off. Three Kiwi-NRL lads started at fullback this round; To’a, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Jamayne Isaako.
Aotearoa Kiwis last played in 2019 and Nicoll-Klokstad was specifically deployed as a centre with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck playing fullback. Nicoll-Klokstad could be a Kiwis fullback but he may soon be a victim of Raiders woes with Xavier Savage lurking for his spot, which could see Nicoll-Klokstad bumped into centre at NRL level.
Isaako would be fine as Aotearoa Kiwis fullback but Titans will get Jayden Campbell back there soon. There is a chance that by the Aotearoa vs Tonga mid-season game, neither Nicoll-Klokstad or Isaako is starting at fullback in NRL.
Jahrome Hughes could be a fullback option despite being exceptional at halfback for Storm. Aotearoa has Shaun Johnson, Dylan Brown and Kieran Foran leading the halves ranks which when combined with a hole at fullback could make Hughes the best candidate.
Then there is Joey Manu who has plugged the James Tedesco fullback hole for Roosters before. Aotearoa has a bunch of centre candidates to absorb the weirdness of shifting the best centre in the world to fullback and getting Manu as much footy as possible will be crucial.
Hughes and Manu feel like the best options. As long as Aotearoa has their low key monster forward pack and a solid halves combo, it should ease the burden of playing a fullback out of position. Plus coach Maguire seems like the type of coach who will provide ample preparation for whatever choice he makes.
Trent Boult round up…
2021 T20I: 23w @ 18avg/7rpo/15.3sr.
Test summer: 9w @ 19.33avg/2.49rpo/46.4sr.
Super Smash: 6w @ 19.50avg/8.35rpo/14sr.
2022 IPL: 7w @ 16.57avg/7.25rpo/13.7sr.
Eugene Bareman and City Kickboxing coaching…
When Aussie Alexander Volkanovski shines in the UFC, there is a heavy Team CKB flavour on display. Eugene Bareman was in Volkanovski’s corner and Brad Riddell was also lurking, adding their mahi to Volkanovski’s Australian coach Joe Lopez. Team CKB’s American wrestling guru Frank Hickman also appeared to be there for the comprehensive Volkanovski win.
Because of cross-Tasman travel niggle, Volkanovski hasn’t trained at CKB in recent years but Bareman and his CKB coaches still add to the total Volkanovski package. Whether it’s Israel Adesanya’s masterful ability or Kai Kara-France being a title contender, there are many examples of Team CKB being among the best combat teams in the world. The Volkanovski thing is different because of the collaboration required and this wrinkle only adds to Team CKB’s excellence.
Riddell is also fascinating as he is a current UFC fighter on the rise, who is also up to his neck in coaching. Riddell has been with Volkanovski for most of his major UFC bouts and continues to be the low key CKB geezer to track.
Team CKB’s leading wahine Genah Fabian has her next fight booked vs Julia Budd for May 6th in the Professional Fighters League.
Wildcard’s Notebook
Flying Kiwis Season Finales
We’re nearing the end of a lot of these football leagues around the world and many of the best kiwi players are being swept up in the casual easing towards that finish line.
Chris Wood scored the winner for Newcastle on Saturday morn? Hell yeah he did though that puts Newcastle on the brink of safety with nothing else but pride to play for. And that’s not a rare case. Many others are in that very same mid-table grind (although in some cases that could be a positive over the last two months – scroll down for some Matt Garbett context later in the piece).
But here are a few players/clubs who’ll take high precedence in the coming weeks as they reach crunch time in one way or another...
Joe Bell (Brøndby) – A couple weeks ago this would’ve been about Brøndby competing for the title... but their form has fallen off a cliff lately. A 3-0 loss to Silkeborg was the latest shocker making it three defeats in a row. Suddenly they’re 14 points off top (FC Copenhagen) with eight games left. So now it’s about whether they can make up the five-point gap to second-placed FC Midtjylland for the other Champions League qualifying spot. Third place is Europa Conference League. Fourth, where they currently sit, is a playoff match against the winners of the relegation rounds (bottom six) for another ECL spot.
Niko Kirwan (Calcio Padova) – For the last couple months Padova have been slipping steadily back on their Serie C conference leaders Südtirol. Clearly the two best teams in that part of the division yet there’s only one automatic promotion spot available. But momentum has shifted lately. Südtirol had a couple poor results in quick succession as Padova snuck through with some close wins and the gap closed right up. The pair met in the Coppa Italia Serie C final midweek with Padova lifting the trophy after a 1-0 result (in which Niko Kirwan was sent off late) and they’ll meet again in the league this upcoming weekend in the second to last gameweek of the regular season. Padova are two points back so victory would send them to the summit. If they don’t win... well they can still get promoted via the labyrinthine playoff series. Kirwan has done it before back with Reggiana, to be fair.
Olivia Chance (Celtic FC) – Forget about the SWPL because Celtic have dropped too many points against their closest rivals to have a hope of winning that… or even of finishing second and getting back into UCL qualifiers. However they did win the SWPL Cup (League Cup equivalent) earlier in the campaign and are into the semis of the Scottish Women’s Cup (FA Cup equivalent) where they’ll meet Hearts in three weeks. Cup double very much on the cards.
Nik Tzanev (AFC Wimbledon) – The Dons have somehow contrived to go 23 games without a win in League One though a pair of draws in the past week, including one vs MK Dons in which they were ten minutes away from breaking the drought, has kept them within three points of safety with a goal difference competitive enough to help them in that quest. Four games remain in which to save their third tier status.
Callum McCowatt & Elijah Just (FC Helsingør) – FCH absolutely rolled into the championship rounds of the Danish second tier with a massive unbeaten streak, including winning their last four games all to nil. But come the champo stuff they’ve suddenly lost two of two. Now the title race is back on, four points clear of Lyngby with eight games left. Helsingør should still have enough juice in the tank to do it based on that previous form although if they don’t then second place would still get them promoted, albeit without a trophy. But what felt like an inevitable march to the title as recently as three weeks ago is no longer quite so simple.
Ryan Thomas (PSV Eindhoven) – First off, we’re mostly just hoping that Ryan Thomas is able to return from injury in time to feature again at all this term. He’s not yet back to training with the full squad after knee surgery in November but the news has been more positive recently. If he does get back... there’s heaps left to challenge for. PSV are second in the Eredivisie, four points behind Ajax with five games left. They’re in the Europa Conference League quarters where they’ll host Leicester City in the second leg on Friday NZT after a 0-0 draw away. They’re also into the KNVB Cup final against Ajax. Still technically got a treble to play for.
Anna Leat (West Ham United) – Meikayla Moore’s Liverpool have already won the second tier and been promoted with games to spare. None of the WSL clubs with kiwis (West Ham, Spurs & Leicester) are in danger of relegation and none are going to qualify for Europe. But West Ham are still in the FA Cup. Extremely tough task against Man City in the semis this weekend though you never know. Cup footy gets weird sometimes. Elsewhere promotion to the Championship (second tier) is very much a possibility for Katie Rood’s Southampton.
Stefan Marinovic (Hapoel Nof HaGalil) – Last place in the relegation rounds, but Nof HaGalil are only three points from safety with four games to play. Not looking likely based on recent form but there’s hope for them yet.
The 349/250 Club
Devastating update from the Steven Adams desk here... having counted down the last couple weeks in the hope that Steve-o would join Hall of Famer Charles Barkely in the 350/250 club it pains me to report that the big fella has fallen just short. He hit the assist mark a couple games ago but fell short by the barest of margins in the offensive rebound tallies. Steven Adams finishing his 2021-22 NBA regular season with 256 assists… and 349 offensive rebounds.
Of course, if he gave a damn about these kinds of trainspotting stats then he would have beaten it easily. The reason he fell short was that the Grizzlies clinched the second seed so early that Adams has been able to rest for two of their final five matches including today’s season finale against the Boston Celtics (which they lost, ending the campaign with a 56-26, equalling the franchise’s best ever mark).
Plus the three games he played since they clinched were up against Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic as well as a blowout win against his old team the New Orleans Pelicans in which he only played 22 minutes, sitting out the fourth quarter entirely for a rather astounding tenth time in his last fourteen appearances. The Grizz have been crushing teams and Steve-o’s chilling with his trackies on during most fourth quarters. Think of all the offensive rebounds that went begging during those quarters.
(That graphic is Steven Adams minutes in recent games. The four segments represent each quarter, with 12 blocks representing each minute - lighter shades reflecting how much of that minute he was on the court for - screenshot courtesy of NBA Rotations)
Thus his quest to join the 350 OReb club for the third time in his career fell achingly short. However it may not have the same ring to it but he is the only player other than those five Chuck seasons to hit 349/250 so that’s still something special. What’s a lone offensive rebound between friends, aye?
Also Charles Barkley’s five seasons above those marks, he was averaging like 39 minutes per game. His total minutes tallies from those seasons are, in chronological order: 2952, 2740, 3170, 3088 & 3085. Steven Adams just did what he did in 1999 total minutes. Only one board short in two-thirds of the time.
Flying Kiwis x Serie A
Normally the Flying Kiwis desk is too busy tending to goals and trophies to worry about unused subs (only so much time in the day after all, gotta prioritise the biggest yarns)... but here’s a rare exception. Liberato Cacace being an unused sub for Empoli was expected. They’ve been alternating left-backs at the club since he arrived and it was Fabiano Parisi’s turn to play this time. But there being a second unused kiwi sub in Serie A this weekend is kind of a big deal.
Matt Garbett was promoted to the bench for Torino’s 0-0 draw with AC Milan. One step closer to Aotearoa’s second Serie A player, the second threatening to arrive a whole lot quicker than the first did. Garbett has been doing fine things in the midfield for Torino’s Primavera team (U19s) and there had been whispers that he was getting close. Danny Hay hinted at it a couple All Whites squads ago. Now here we are.
Random note: Matt Garbett’s name didn’t appear on many teamsheets and it was because of the number he chose. #18 had been allotted to 19 year old Serbian midfielder Dennis Stojković earlier in the season. But Stojković was released by Torino in late November and has agreed to join the youth team of HNK Rijeka in Croatia for next season which freed up the number for Garbett’s use. Not sure if there’s any deeper relevance to that number. He wore #19 at the Olympics.
Dennis Stojković was only actually with the club for about four months (despite signing a three year contract) and missed time through injury during that spell. Did spend some preseason with the first team hence why he had a jersey number but the dude only ever played Primavera footy officially.
Funnily enough, Garbett and Stojković play the same position, hence Garbett limiting his Primavera minutes was alleged to be a factor in DS wanting to leave for a club with a clearer path to senior football. Fair enough. Just ironic that he finally got his name in a matchday squad and it was Matty Garbett who put it there. Hopefully BT Sports and their mates can get up to date team lists before the next time Garbs makes the bench.