Different Gravy
Different Gravy
All Blacks 'doomsday', World Athletic Champs, Kiwi-NRL player movement, Marko Stamenic at FCK, Flying Kiwis Transfer Tracker & more
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Reading Menu
2022 Blackcaps Tracker: Michael Bracewell The T2OI Prospect (Cricket)
2022 Blackcaps Tracker: Finn Allen Enters T20I Mode (Cricket)
Here’s How Indiah-Paige Riley Fits Into A Football Ferns Team In Need Of Creativity (Football)
Kosta Barbarouses Has Returned To The Wellington Phoenix (Again) (Football)
Reliving The Trauma of the All Whites Loss To Costa Rica (Football)
Flying Kiwis – July 13 (Football)
Don’t Look Now But Maybe, Just Maybe, The Breakers Are Starting To Turn Things Around (Basketball)
Scotty’s Word
Aotearoa sporting matters don't get any more interesting than All Blacks losing. First, every other sport can take a breath as small woes across those sports/teams get overshadowed by the biggest issue of them all - a losing All Blacks team. All Blacks fandom, or more to the point, how All Blacks are covered in Aotearoa, is a fascinating wee situation to explore and while it's clear that rugby union is growing in popularity around the world (like many sports), kiwis seem to want all the rugby glory for themselves.
Last week I rolled through hockey World Cup nations and the spread of teams around the world, featuring Chile joining Argentina as South American teams at that World Cup. Chile just defeated USA to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and while this is glorious alignment for myself, this is only a small example of how such sports are expanding. South America will also have Argentina and Uruguay at the next rugby World Cup while rugby league is still building into that global landscape.
The rugby union landscape is shifting and that brings growth, as well as more competition. There seems to be tension between a desire for a more competitive rugby landscape and All Blacks winning - rugby union can grow as long as All Blacks are the big donnies? If rugby union keeps growing and All Blacks slightly lose their grip at the top, will every series defeat involve a referendum?
Sure, All Blacks were below par - a fairly bonkers par that has made All Blacks the best sports team in the world. We have already established that World Cups matter most and that the years between World Cups are a journey. All Blacks weren't blown away by Ireland, they just lost a highly competitive series and having learned these lessons from All Blacks culture; losses bring learnings, learning brings improvement.
This is all to say that Aotearoa shouldn't feel like this is some kinda lame doomsday. Constant ram-raids, cities plastered with graffiti, rising crime and violence feels like an actual doomsday that we are experiencing. A losing All Blacks team is merely just a sign of rugby union's strong foundations and yet the coverage, or emotions, express a different idea.
Not many kiwis seem to like a 'Mark Robinson' at the moment. NZ Warriors are owned by Mark Robinson and folks seem caught up about his antics, overlooking the fact that his money has kept Warriors afloat. NZRU boss Mark Robinson poured gas on the All Blacks dumpster fire, coming out with a statement and all sorts of waffle that only amplified Aotearoa's rugby arrogance.
That statement from NZRU Robinson felt more like a message to shareholders and here we enter the pot of emotions. NZRU has been on a money-hungry mission and their recent investment situation hasn't been smooth sailing. Another aspect I've noted recently is how insecure Aotearoa media and rugby folks are as they always look abroad for quotes, thoughts, and reactions. Much of Aotearoa's rugby coverage is 'what did people in another country think about our performance?' and when operating from a place of insecurity, it is no surprise about what happens when battling adversity.
Not many Aotearoa media folks are laying out calm, concise, common sense approaches to the All Blacks situation. No one is secure in their All Blacks coverage, confident in anything positive. Combine a fragile state of coverage and emotions with niggle between kiwis battling legit doomsday stuff vs NZRU selling their souls and we have this wider mess - a fascinating mess.
My personal belief is that rugby and netball are on a steady decline in Aotearoa, falling to a more even standing with many other sports. All Blacks can still be the best team in the world as that happens and rugby union's worldwide growth will come as other sports challenge rugby union in Aotearoa. All Blacks losses represent a better international rugby union landscape and if kiwis lose the plot with every All Blacks loss, they are working against that flow.
Many kiwis hate the All Blacks and they play their role in this. To those folks, All Blacks represent everything yucky about Aotearoa and they want to see them fail. These folks make small issues much bigger and instead of looking around the Aotearoa sporting landscape to find what they want, they would rather tear down All Blacks stuff. That's a vibe I knew well but my journey has led me to peace and balance.
That has brought me around to kicking back, observing how Aotearoa deals with All Blacks losing. Maybe folks simply can't deal with change? Maybe this is evidence of Aotearoa arrogance? Maybe folks are taking their day-to-day frustrations out through All Blacks losses? Maybe there is something toxic within NZRU? ‘Maybe’ isn't present when pondering media coverage, because we know they have many negative yarns to share in search of the most clicks and views.
I keep coming back around to the tension between rugby union's global expansion and All Blacks dominance. They can both co-exist but Aotearoa's insecurity creates tension as very few kiwis can see how less All Blacks dominance could be positive for rugby union. Instead, less All Blacks dominance means an attack on national identity and traditional structures. Tradition is good if one doesn't cling to it.
Eric Va'afusuaga has been a notable NZ Warriors junior name over the past few years and he now appears to have moved into the Bulldogs system. Va'afusuaga first appeared in the Warriors SG Ball team while playing 1st 15 for Kings College and had been a key performer for Redcliffe U18s/U21s, before impressing in the Future Warriors vs Tigers game a few weeks ago.
Va'afusuaga had been playing for Redcliffe U21s this year but appears to have moved to Bulldogs after that Future Warriors game at Mt Smart. Just like All Blacks insecurity, the easy approach here is 'NZ Warriors lose another junior player' and I'm still baffled at how kiwis love that approach so much that they can't celebrate Kiwi-NRL matters. Like All Blacks depth and kiwis playing for teams like Ireland, Warriors only have so many roster spots and there is literally too much rugby union/league talent - footy abundance.
Sebastian Su'a has also made a switch, having played for the Warriors Sevens team earlier this year and now signing with Knights. This sets up an interesting phase as Warriors work through their entire club roster (NRL to Future Warriors) for a full-time return to Auckland.
For Va'afusuaga, he enters a Bulldogs system that is being tweaked towards junior development under Phil Gould. Va'afusuaga went straight into the Bulldogs U21s team this weekend, starting at centre and as Bulldogs are working through changes, though I'm more curious about how this looks entering next season than right now.
Bulldogs will ramp up their Kiwi-NRL recruitment and Va'afusuaga joined Fahmy Toilalo (Otahuhu) in U21s this week, while Caleb Laiman (Marist) is part of that group as well. Every NRL club has juniors from Aotearoa and despite being a mediocre Kiwi-NRL club, Bulldogs are making Kiwi-NRL junior recruitment moves.
A twist on the classic Warriors yarn: maybe the Warriors system is good because players are well equipped to succeed at other clubs?
William Fakatoumafi (Otahuhu) and Daeon Amituanai (Whiti Te Ra) were Warriors juniors with Redcliffe last season before moving to Redcliffe for this year. Fakatoumafi is usually starting at fullback for Panthers U21s and Amituanai usually plays on the wing, recently stepping up to NSW Cup where he's scored a few tries.
Sione Moala was a starting half for Warriors SG Ball and is climbing up the Raiders ranks. Vaka Sikahele was also in Warriors SG Ball and is now working through the Titans system. Jeremiah Asi played Warriors SG Ball and is now in Otago Highlanders system (via St Peter's 1st 15). Josiah Karapani played Warriors SG Ball and was getting lots of buzz at Rabbitohs this year.
That SG Ball team was wrecked by the pandemic and many players left because the pandemic snatched these teams away, not because Warriors suck at recruitment. Most players who departed have thrived and I keep challenging my thinking with this idea of solid foundations built at Warriors before blossoming elsewhere.
Va'afusuaga and Amituanai are similar prospects which has me thinking that Va'afusuaga could be pushing for NSW Cup footy next season. Bulldogs probably made an offer that Warriors couldn't and that might mean some NSW Cup footy this season, at least a clear avenue for promotion. Warriors are sorting through their juniors and their outside back stocks are healthy, above and below Va'afusuaga's U21s marker.
Rocco Berry, Viliami Vailea and Edward Kosi will want more NRL footy next season. Ali Leiataua is the primary outside back in Warriors/Redcliffe U21s and I'll be tracking which Warriors juniors step up into their return to NSW Cup footy over the coming months. Keep in mind that Future Warriors stuff has been ongoing in Auckland during the pandemic and more players will pop up as they rise through the age-brackets.
Redcliffe U21s won 54-10 over Norths, maintaining their perch near the top of the Queensland U21s ladder. Leiataua started at centre, Sefanaia Cowley-Lupo started in the halves while the Kepu twins, Taniela Otukolo and Zyon Maiu'u all started in the forward pack. Lleyton Finau and Jacob Laban came off the bench. 17 players used, seven were Warriors juniors from Aotearoa.
Funky note tahi: Benaiah Ioelu (Howick) and Navajo Doyle (Papatoetoe) were 'replacement players' for Roosters and Dragons respectively in the U21s game between these two teams. Both played SG Ball this year and both are hookers from Auckland. Navajo's brother Chicago Doyle is in Wellington Hurricanes system.
Funky note rua: Wynnum U21s defeated Northern Pride 100-0. Cassius Cowley (Tokoroa) started in the halves, Felix Fa’atili (Hornby) started at prop and Braydon Seu-Easthope (Otahuhu) came off the bench. Caius Fa’atili was promoted to reserve grade where he made his Q Cup debut for Wynnum.
Funky note toru: More footy abundance with Kiwi Fern Katelyn Vaha'akolo. Vaha'akolo started at wing for Auckland Storm (union) on Saturday and was listed as starting at fullback for Pt Chevalier wahine (league) on Sunday. Shifting codes is lovely and all that, doing both in one weekend is different gravy.
Players in Blackcaps T20I squad without NZC contracts: Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver, Jacob Duffy, James Neesham, Michael Rippon, Ben Sears, Blair Tickner.
15 players in the squad, eight don't have NZC contracts. Worry less about contracts, more about legit mahi.
Eugene Bareman and Combat TV break down all things CKB...
Wildcard’s Notebook
The World Athletic Championships are going on at the moment and say would you look at this...
It was only a matter of time until Eddie Osei-Nketia broke that Aotearoa record and now he’s done it, running a superb heat at the World Champs in Oregon over the weekend. Then, as if that wasn’t impressive enough, Zoe Hobbs went and did the same thing in the women’s heats the very next day. She ran an 11.08 which was not only a personal best and not only a New Zealand record but in fact it’s an Oceania record too. Beating her own record, it should be stated. She’s upped the national mark four times now in the past eight months. Both kiwi sprinters gassing it into the semi-finals.
Although that’s as far as they went. Osei-Nketia was too slow out of the blocks in his semi and only logged 10.29 secs to finish seventh in his race. If he’d matched that PB then he would have been third... yet that still wouldn’t have been enough to get him into the final as one of the fastest non-automatics. Would’ve taken 10.05 to get that done. Bit too much to ask. Frustrating he didn’t put his best foot forward in the semi but when you break a national record along the way then the meet has been a success regardless.
Zoe Hobbs didn’t have any trouble with her start in the third of the women’s semis... but somebody else did. Bahamian runner TyNia Gaither was called up for a false start – super marginal but that’s how it goes. So she got disqualified whilst the rest of the runners had to take a few breaths and get reset.
Hobbs got out of the traps sharply for the real one however she lost her stride rhythm over the final thirty metres. She was running fourth around the halfway mark but dipped back to fifth with a time of 11.13 seconds at the conclusion. 0.2 secs off the leader Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the Jamaican icon who went on to win the final, though not too far off her national/area record from a day earlier. Eliminated at the semis but that was to be expected. The slowest qualifier for the final ran 10.96 so fair enough.
Unfortunately neither Eddie Osei-Nketia nor Zoe Hobbs will be at the Commonwealth Games because the NZ qualifying standards are way too harsh. Neither was considered enough of a medal chance... if only they’d run these times a few months earlier then the situation would probably have been different.
Then again, let’s be honest: the World Champs are lightyears beyond the Comms when you consider the competition. Take out all the Americans, the Chinese, the Russians, most of Europe, the majority of Asia, a lot of Africa... and the standards shift a fair bit. Which is cool because we get to win a heap more medals but gotta keep it all in context. Hobbs and EON doing this at the world champs means way more.
There are twenty kiwis at the 2022 World Athletics Championship which is the most we’ve ever sent to this event. More than half of them are at their first ever World Champs... although not too many are medal hopefuls. Aotearoa has only ever won eight World Champs medals and five of those belong to Valerie Adams (four golds and a silver). Tom Walsh (a gold and a bronze) and Beatrice Faumuina (one gold) are the others. That’s it. World Champs every two years since 1991 with two events every four years before that and only three NZers have ever medalled so keep that in mind.
I’ll write about this in more detail once it’s all done and dusted. So far it’s been a mixed bag of results. Tom Walsh took a while to get going in the shot put final and in the end fell well short of a medal. 22.08m was good for fourth but he was 11cm off third and a massive 86cm off first – Ryan Crouser of course. Americans went 1-2-3 in that event so at least that bodes well for the Comm Games where none of them will feature.
Jacko Gill was seventh with 21.40m and over in the women’s shot we also had a seventh placed finish for Maddi Wesche who threw a personal best of 19.50m with her final throw. Not enough to move her up the board but, get this, it added a whopping forty centimetres onto her previous PB (set at the NZ champs in March). Wesche is 23 years old and her nine best ever throws have come within the past 13 months, including setting personal bests at the Olympics and the World Champs. Clutch.
Some other notables out there... Sam Tanner ran well in a slow and tactical 1500m heat and was then super unlucky to miss out on the final. He was the fastest non-qualifier in the semis and that has unfortunately been a recurring theme so far. Hamish Kerr was fourteenth in high jump with thirteen going through. Only missed out on countback. Then Lauren Bruce was one measly centimetre away from making the hammer throw final. At least Olivia McTaggert made the pole vault final, albeit failing to clear at her first height of 4.30m meaning she didn’t register a measurement.
This is the full list of kiwi competitors, still a few exciting athletes to watch out for...
Jacko Gill – Men’s Shot Put
Tomas Walsh – Men’s Shot Put
Maddi Wesche – Women’s Shot Put
Olivia McTaggert – Women’s Pole Vault
Imogen Ayris – Women’s Pole Vault
Hamish Kerr – Men’s High Jump
Julia Ratcliffe – Women’s Hammer Throw
Lauren Bruce – Women’s Hammer Throw
Nicole Bradley – Women’s Hammer Throw
Tori Peeters – Women’s Javelin
Eddie Osei-Nketia – Men’s 100m
Zoe Hobbs – Women’s 100m
Georgia Hulls – Women’s 200m
Rosie Elliott - Women's 400m
Portia Bing – Women’s 400m Hurdles
Brad Mathas – Men’s 800m
Sam Tanner – Men’s 1500m
Hamish Carson – Men’s 5000m
Geordie Beamish – Men’s 5000m
Quentin Rew – Men’s Race Walk
Denmark is fast becoming one of the most fascinating spots on the planet for kiwi footballers. This is another one that’ll get a deeper written dive later in the week – probably Weds or Thurs – because it absolutely deserves it. Six NZers find themselves in exciting and unique situations within Danish footy and to make matters even brighter the men’s Superliga just kicked off for the new season.
Marko Stamenic’s spot with FC København has been a rare case of preseason footy getting proper Flying Kiwis coverage these past few weeks as he’s returned from spending last season on loan in the second tier to really stake a claim for regular selection with the defending Danish champs.
He featured in all three preseason friendlies and then when the team kit numbers were announced he was given his old 35 shirt back. And helping things further was the decision by the league to expand benches from seven to nine players meaning that squads will be slightly bigger (five subs allowed from that crew helps as well).
Sure enough, Marko Stamenic was amongst the subs for game one of the season and what’s more is that he was chucked on out there at half-time with FCK trying to change things up to find a breakthrough against promoted Horsens. It didn’t really work as Copenhagen went on to lose 1-0. More on how he played in Flying Kiwis tomorrow plus there were a few notes in this twitter thread. Poor result for the team but a huge boost for Stamenic, finally getting a second Superliga appearance twenty months after his debut.
Stamenic could quite possibly be playing Champions League before the year is out. FCK go straight into the final qualifying round as Danish champs meaning that one two-legged tie is all that stands between them and the group stages. It’s been fifteen years since a kiwi bloke last played UCL. Only four have ever done so throughout history (plus one or two Brits who had zero allegiances to Aotearoa at the time but later moved here and played for the All Whites after being domesticated... similar to Indiah-Paige Riley playing UCL on the women’s side whilst aligned with Aussie but not really because she was eligible for NZ the whole time... but yeah I did have to figure out how to address those scenarios in my FKs notes).
Even if FCK lose that playoff they’ll still have Europa League group stage fixtures as a consolation. Guaranteed European matches so if Stamenic truly does hang around in the first team then he’ll surely get amongst that. The transfer window is open until the end of August (in line with other European leagues that start later) meaning that a loan could still happen down the line. But signs are great so far.
Elsewhere Joe Bell was on the bench for Brøndby which is consistent from the end of last season. But he did come on with a slick cameo later on. The score was 0-0 when he was subbed on after 77 mins. The score was 1-0 after 79 mins. No goal or assist for Bell but he did play the initial forward pass that sparked the move, a crucial impact on a victorious outcome.
Next week the First Division starts. In an alternate timeline it might have been FC Helsingør who won that title instead of Horsens, given their big lead at the championship round split which they subsequently threw away. Not to be... and they didn’t even get promoted such was their collapse. So Callum McCowatt and Elijah Just will have to do the first div thing all over again but that should mean heaps more goals and assists for the lads there. They begin on Sunday at 4.30am against Vejle.
And while we do have to wait a wee bit longer for the women’s top division to begin, three more weeks to be specific, when it does it’ll feature freshly minted Football Ferns-eligible Indiah-Paige Riley with Fortuna Hjørring and a first professional gig for Daisy Cleverley at HB Køge.
Bell and Stamenic are likely to be in a title race against each other (with FC Midtjylland also in the hunt). Riley and Cleverley are even more likely to be in a title race against each other. HBK won the title last time with FH second. Both will play Champions League qualifiers in the coming months as well.
Tiarna Clarke did something absolutely bonkers in the Tauihi Basketball yesterday...
ELEVEN three pointers. Shooting 11/20 on the way to 34 total points. Needless to say that’s a national league record. Crazy thing is she’d been struggling with her shot prior to that massive Whai win over the Mainland Pouākai. Shooting 6/26 from deep in her previous four Tauihi games.
Only four because she spent some time away at the 3x3 World Champs and is about to head off again for more 3x3 Tall Ferns duty at the Commonwealth Games, just one more Whai game before that... though she’ll be back well in time for the playoffs. Which the Mid-North Whai are basically guaranteed to make given that four out of five teams make the semis and the Southern Hoiho are 0-5 as it stands.
Northern Kāhu looked like the team to beat before the season began based on their stacked roster. They still look like the team to beat after five straight wins – and you get the feeling they’re still a long way from having fully clicked yet. The Whai and Kāhu play each other on Tuesday at 7pm which’ll be Tiarna Clarke’s last game before heading to Birmingham 2022.
Flying Kiwis Transfer Tracker
The Monday versions aren’t as flash for the transfers. Less gets announced on weekends and we’ve only had three days since Friday. But we got one absolute banger confirmed as that Marco Rojas move to Colo-Colo was made official.
The hombre has joined on an 18-month contract and was presumably in the stands for their latest Primera Division win, a dramatic 2-1 win away to Audax Italiano (aided by a VAR allowed backpost header and a VAR awarded penalty deeeeep into stoppage time – 90+10’ was the time when it was finally taken and scored). That win keeps them top of the table by three clear points after 18 rounds. Remains to be seen how quickly Rojas is integrated into the matchday team but they didn’t sign him to sit in the stands so hopefully it’ll be soon.
Alyssa Whinham has not only re-upped with the Wellington Phoenix for the upcoming season but she’s become the first player in club history to sign a multi-year contract, signing on for two more campaigns. If her career trajectory continues as steeply as it did last year she may not see out both terms but great news regardless to see the WahiNix not only putting the squad together but retaining key players in the process. Mackenzie Barry was a crucial defensive presence, Whinham was a crucial attacking presence. Both on the books for Season Two already and you get the feeling they’ll probably keep a steady roll out of others flowing over the next few weeks.
Not a heap else going on so let’s dip into the recent past and chuck up former NZ youth international Maya Hahn, who switched allegiances to Germany a couple years ago (however the pandemic cost her a shot at featuring for their U20s and it’s a long way up to the senior team so technically, not having played for Germany at all, the 21yo could still flip back to Aotearoa if she wanted).
Back in May it was announced that Hahn would be joining Bundesliga side Turbine Potsdam for the upcoming 2022-23 season. She played briefly for SV Meppen in the top flight of Germany a couple years ago but only briefly. Four bench apps. Otherwise she’s mostly been doing her thing for the University of Oregon team in America.
Potsdam is a big step up from both those levels. Meppen have since been relegated, whereas Potsdam last season made the German Cup final and finished fourth in the league. They’re a strong team and will be hoping to push for European qualification if they can boost things from there – top three in Germany make the UCL qualifiers. So a fantastic move for Maya Hahn and it’ll be great to see if she can get some serious minutes there.