Carving Paths
Flying Kiwis transfers (Haering, Wilkins, Greive), Caelys Putoko at the GC Titans, Super Smash stats, Michael Wilson in the NFL & more
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Looking Back At New Zealand’s U17 World Cup Bronze Medallists, Five Years Later (Football)
Flying Kiwis – January 10 (Football)
The Glorious Revival of Kosta Barbarouses at the Wellington Phoenix (Football)
Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Releasing Ronald Volkman & Updated Depth Chart (Rugby League)
Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Six Sneaky Juniors To Learn About (Rugby League)
Six Of The Best Kiwi-NRL Junior Halves In Australia For 2024 (Rugby League)
Scotty’s Word
Best T20I Blackcaps from 2023 who aren't in squad to play against Pakistan (listed in order of T20I runs scored/wickets taken last year)...
Batting
Jimmy Neesham, Tom Latham, Chad Bowes, Will Young, Cole McConchie, Michael Bracewell, Dean Foxcroft
Bowling
Jimmy Neesham, Ben Lister, Kyle Jamieson, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell, Blair Tickner, Henry Shipley, Adithya Ashok, Jacob Duffy
Women's Super Smash stuff...
Batters with 50+ scores:
Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr (3), Frances Mackay (2), Maddy Green (1).
White Ferns in group of nine batters with 100+ runs:
Suzie Bates (328), Amelia Kerr (255), Kate Anderson (177), Maddy Green (133), Hannah Rowe (129), Georgia Plimmer (126).
White Ferns in group of 20 bowlers with 5+ wickets:
Amelia Kerr (11), Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson (7).
Batters with 30+ runs and strike-rates over 115:
Jess Kerr (134), Amelia Kerr (130), Carol Agafili (130), Mikaela Greig (117), Maddy Green (116)
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When news of Caelys Putoko's move from Tokoroa to Gold Coast Titans came through, I pondered how two NZ Schools rugby union players could wind up in NRL systems a few months later. I haven't seen any pictures or found any more information about Tevita Naufahu at Dolphins apart from his name being in the Train & Trial list, so I can't go deeper into those mangroves just yet.
Putoko scored three tries for Forestland Falcons in the Bay of Plenty rugby league grand final vs Pikiao. This means that Putoko was already playing rugby league before being selected in the NZ Schools (via Hamilton Boys High School 1st 15) rugby union team. Not only did NZRU select two players for NZ Schools who opted to pursue rugby league a few months later, they selected Putoko who was already dominating the local league scene.
There are lots of junior trial games being played but not many team lists and most Under 21s squads in NSW have not been named yet. NZ Warriors haven't named any junior squads yet so the Kiwi-NRL junior waters are still murky at this stage of the year, although Putoko and a couple other lads were specifically mentioned by Titans for their upcoming trip to Sydney.
Putoko is listed as a wing/centre for the Future Titans U19s. The U17 team will include 'powerful imports Torino Jackson and Santino Pekepo-Tevaga. Jackson is from Dunedin and Pekepo-Tevaga is from Palmerston North which along with Putoko from Tokoroa, highlights the scope of Kiwi-NRL recruitment.
This is part of a Titans system that is flush with Kiwi-NRL talent. Keano Kini, Ryder Williams and Vaka Sikahele should be familiar Kiwi-NRL names at this stage for regular readers and all three come from Auckland. Others like Armani Wetini-Ngaropo, Austin Marsters and Mason Barber may also play for these Future Titans teams as Kiwi-NRL juniors who have were in the Titans mixer last year.
There is no more U21s in Queensland so I'm curious where Immanuel Kalekale, Sam McIntyre and Cruz Lasike pop up after being with Burleigh U21s last year. Kalekale, McIntyre, Wetini-Ngaropo and Marsters are all from Auckland. Barber (Hokianga) and Lasike (Kaitaia) are from Northland which could mean Titans have Kiwi-NRL juniors from Kaitaia and Dunedin in their system this year.
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
Flying Kiwis Transfer Tracker…
Oh yes things are heating up now. Yesterday we got a great one as Suya Haering signed with Turbine Potsdam in Germany. There she’ll link up with Maya Hahn, a fellow NZer with German parentage. Hahn was part of the U17 World Cup squad that came third in 2018 – and wouldn’t you know it there’s a whole big retrospective piece about that team that just got published yesterday.
Hahn of course swapped allegiances to Germany... but I’m not sure how that sits right now. Since she’s never actually played for Germany (due to the U20 World Cup being cancelled during the pando), and since she was under-21 when she switched, whether maybe she might be allowed to swap back if she chose to? She’d make Football Ferns squads immediately but the German senior national team is a long way away.
Anyway, back to Haering, she was part of the 2022 U17 World Cup and recently won the National League with Auckland United. She’s a left back who can run for days, very tidy on the ball, likes to get forward... bit of a mini Ali Riley to be honest. Born and raised in Aotearoa but from memory she’s got about four different countries she’s eligible for. NZ, Germany, USA, and one of the south Asian nations I think. But yeah nah she’ll be going to the U20 World Cup later this year and before that she’ll hopefully join Hahn in helping Potsdam get promoted back to the Bundesliga. They’re up near the top of the second division after relegation last term. Usually perennial top-flighters. Hahn has been having a breakthrough season as an influential creative midfielder, now she’s got a bit of kiwi company.
Then in the early hours of this morning came news of a switch from Dalton Wilkins, moving from Kolding to SønderskjyE. Same division in the Danish second tier... but Sonders are a lot like Turbine Potsdam women in that they’re used to being in the top tier and are well on their way to getting back there. They’re one point clear in first and 11 clear of third... with the top two going up. Only halfway through the season but so far so good.
Wilkins was in the last six months of his Kolding deal and it sounds like he had enough interest elsewhere that he wasn’t planning on re-signing... so KIF have gotten what they could from him. Transfer fee undisclosed as is often the case below the top levels. He’s signed a contract for the next 3.5 years. SønderskjyE is a former club of Marco Rojas, who made 24 Superliga appearances for them five years ago. Great move from Wilkins, one which could put him in much more regular contention for All Whites squads.
This week’s Flying Kiwis roundup also went into detail about Alex Greive’s move to Dundee United. Dropping a division in his case... though also to join a team competing for promotion. This is all about game time, linking up with the manager who signed him to St Mirren in the first place, though Greive also has just half a season left on his contract so he’s got to be pragmatic about what comes next. This loan deal could easily become a permanent one, especially if Dundee Utd get promoted.
Not sure if we’ll ever get proper confirmation of this or not, but Scott Morris has apparently signed with Stoke City after his trial there. New Christchurch United coach Ryan Edwards confirmed this in an interview with the Christchurch Star this week – saying he’s with their reserves/U21s. This has been mentioned before but Jonathan Gould is the goalkeeping coach at Stoke. It also seems that Morris is being listed as a Stoke City player by CUFC in some of their club documentation.
That Suya Haering transfer also sparks some player pathways thoughts because, weirdly, that legendary 2018 U17s squad only has two players currently playing overseas as professionals: Anna Leat (Aston Villa) and Maya Hahn (Turbine Potsdam). Admittedly they do have five players on the books with the Wellington Phoenix (Van der Meer, Barry, Wisnewski, Fraser & Brown)... but then that 2022 U17s crew has four players of its own in the Welly Nix first team picture (Elliott, Errington, Ingham & Danieli) and a whole bunch more in the Academy. And beyond them there’s now:
Suya Haering at Turbine Potsdam
Milly Clegg at Western Sydney Wanderers
Ruby Nathan at Canberra United
Olivia Page at Sheffield United
Kiara Bercelli at Chievo (on loan from Sampdoria)
And that squad is all still in the 17-19 age range with several more of them capable of joining this lot. Lara Colpi, Zoe Benson, Ella McMillan, and Charlotte Mortlock are a few I’d recommend jotting down just in case.
That speaks to the fast-evolving options around the world for kiwi wahine footballers these days, even compared to five years ago (when all the top players from that U17s bronze medal team were aiming for USA college scholarships). It also might speak to one of the themes of the latter part of that retrospective article about how that 2018 crew was kinda the last hurrah of a previous era. Read the article for more. No need to repeat myself when I’ve already written it.
Several of those Class of 2018 players at the Welly Nix are good enough to move overseas in due course, although if MVDM and Wiz had such ambitions then they’ve been delayed by the ACL tears. Macey Fraser and Mackenzie Barry for sure could also follow the path that the likes of Bunge and Steinmetz have carved. And the big hope for that crew is the university graduates, with Gabi Rennie, Maggie Jenkins, and Genevieve Ryan all potentially available now, while Amelia Abbott has one more season to go.
Jenkins and Rennie ought to be able to waltz into A-League teams right away... although limited import spots around the ALW might make that tricky. Jacqui Hand joined Aland United fresh out of uni, while Daisy Cleverley went straight to HB Køge. Hannah Blake went to the A-League though has stated her intentions to play in England down the line. Just as an indication of what can be realistically hoped for.
The NFL regular season wrapped up this week which offers an opportunity to check in with NZ-adjacent rookie wide receiver Michael Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals. If you want the goss on the bloke’s life and career leading up to this season, that article has already been written. This is a follow-up based on the completion of his first season in the big league.
Unsurprisingly, with a roster clearly targeted towards tanking, the Cardinals finished bottom of their division with a 4-13 record – “earning” themselves the fourth overall pick in the next draft. That situation did allow Wilson to get some busy action from the get-go though, taking advantage of his size and blocking ability to keep himself involved even when he wasn’t getting targetted enough with the pass game... which is an issue that actually got worse after star quarterback Kyler Murray returned late in the season. At least initially.
Without time to forge a connection there, Wilson caught three catches for 34 yards in Murray’s season debut and then missed the next three games with a shoulder injury. When he returned he failed to get a completion in either of his next two appearances. Wilson did then have a solid game in week 17 catching four passes for 35 yards with a touchdown (the third of his career after a double against San Francisco in week 4) in a 35-31 win against Philadelphia Eagles which was probably the high point of the Cardies season. Thankfully he then polished things off with six catches for 95 yards in the last game (against Seattle). That’s a new career best for yardage. Nice way to finish up.
Even better was that he caught all six passes that came his way. That’s been an issue for him working with Kyler, having only caught 7/19 targets in their previous QB/WR link-ups (although he wasn’t credited with any drops). All combined that leaves him with rookie season numbers of:
13 games | 38 receptions (58 targets) | 565 yards | 3 TDs | 14.87 yards/rec | 9.78 yards/target
His longest reception was a 69-yarder against the Dallas Cowboys. Best part was that he was able to get through the majority of the season without injury having been so limited during his college career. There was that one stretch in late November but nothing that suggested he’s going to have availability dramas.
Kyler Murray on Michael Wilson: “I think it's important for me to be able to build a rapport with him, because he's a great player. I think he'll be here for a while and, you know, I love his mental makeup, you know, how he sees the game.”
While we’re on the topic of American sports, the Memphis Grizzlies aren’t going so flash without Steven Adams. For a while there things were trending upwards after Ja Morant came back from his suspension with a vengeance (talking about keeping receipts... yeah the bro learned nothing once again lol). But then came this Memphis Grizzlies Medical Update...
At Saturday’s training session, Morant suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder. Following ongoing soreness and instability, Morant underwent an MRI that revealed an underlying labral tear. Morant will undergo season-ending surgery and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024-25 season.
An ongoing injury that turned out to be way worse than first expected after some deeper investigation? Tell me why that feels so familiar. It’s also the case that Brandon Clarke, their backup centre who tore his achilles tendon last March, had a second surgery on that heel a few months ago to delay his return possibly until next season as well. Plus on a lesser scale Marcus Smart injured his finger a few days ago and that’s going to keep him out for at least six weeks. Given their history we can guess six weeks to be a best case scenario. All this after the Steven Adams injury debacle.
The Grizzlies have a 14-23 record, sitting 13th in the Western Conference. They also just cut Bismack Biyombo who’d done a decent job for them as a late-notice Steven Adams replacement, playing the fourth most minutes on the team up to the point of his release with one of their better defensive ratings. Seems like that’s a pretty clear sign that they’re no longer prioritising this season. At least they’ll get a decent draft pick out of it all.
And now a tune...