Down The Line
Super Smash preview notes, Wellington Phoenix squad moves, Warriors NRLW signings, Breakers accountability, Kiwi-NRL updates & more
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Exploring The Canterbury Concentration Of Aotearoa's Best Young Cricket Talent (Cricket)
2024/25 HBJ Shield: Otago Keep Winning & The Young All Stars (Cricket)
Taking Stock Of New Zealand's 2024 Test Cricket Transition & Future Forecast (Cricket)
This New Zealand Breakers Season Is Capitulating Before Our Very Eyes (Basketball)
Five Funky New Zealand Warriors Storylines Heading Into The 2025 NRL Season (Rugby League)
New Zealand Warriors Wider Squad & Summer Training Break Down Ahead Of 2025 NRL Season (Rugby League)
2024/25 Kiwi-NRL Summer Guide: Cowboys, Dolphins, Broncos, Titans (Rugby League)
2024/25 Kiwi-NRL Summer Guide: Knights, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs, Roosters (Rugby League)
2024/25 Kiwi-NRL Summer Guide: Bulldogs, Eels, Tigers, Panthers (Rugby League)
Flying Kiwis – December 18 (Football)
2024 Women’s National League – Team of the Season (Football)
Scotty’s Word
Domestic cricket things for each team ahead of Super Smash…
Auckland
Bevon Jacobs could be a Blackcap by the end of the summer.
Bree Illing is a lefty seamer, bowls pretty quick with bounce who could be Auckland's best bowler.
Northern Districts
Brett Hampton is the best underground slugger in NZ. 14 sixes in four Plunket Shield games (49.6avg/85.2sr) this season and 11 sixes in four Ford Trophy games (40.2avg/117sr).
Marama Downes was excellent last summer (16w @ 12.6avg/5.5rpo) and ND need her to lead the bowling attack again.
Central Districts
What role will Curtis Heaphy play? 21-year-old opening batter who has played 10+ games in First-Class (37.4avg) and List-A (50.2avg), but just three games of T20 (21avg/107sr). If Heaphy can snap up a 1st 11 spot while CD have plenty of options, it will give up a nice development opportunity.
Flora Devonshire is a pure lefty who has had a great start to the summer. Two 50+ scores in her 41.4avg/70sr and 10w @ 15.9avg/4.6rpo in HBJ Shield. Punchy strokes and tidy spin, with the lefty boost.
Wellington
Tim Robinson will add to his Blackcaps appearances this summer but will probably zone in on Super Smash over the festive phase. Excellent T20 hitter (23avg/140sr) who has been solid in Ford Trophy (50avg/68sr) and Plunket Shield (42.7avg/68sr) to start the season.
Xara Jetly averages 16.6 with the ball in 44 T20 games. Another dominant season for Wellington with the ball, excellent fielding and maybe efficient run-scoring could put Jetly in the White Ferns mix.
Canterbury
Will Rhys Mariu play his first Super Smash game? T20 runs won't help Mariu become a Blackcaps Test opener but his involvement/performances in Super Smash will teach us plenty about his ability.
Kyle Jamieson also bowled 4 overs with 1w @ 3.7rpo in a T20 for Canterbury A this week so he might be on the comeback trail.
Been tracking this for a while now with Canterbury women...
2023/24 Super Smash: 5th (2-6)
2023/24 HBJ Shield: 6th (2-7)
2024/25 HBJ Shield: 6th (1-5)
Otago
Luke Georgeson only had two Super Smash games last summer and has played nine in his career, with 25+ FC and LA games. Averaging 15 with the ball in T20s, Georgeson also averages 22 in LA bowling and he's already got a 50+ score in T20 batting. Key thing here is that Georgeson will probably be Otago's captain and he's averaging 19 with the ball in Ford Trophy, 23 in Plunket Shield, plus he is tied with noted slugger Llew Johnson for the most Otago sixes in Ford Trophy (35avg/94sr) this season.
Polly Inglis could put pressure on Izzy Gaze for the White Ferns wicket-keeping role if she has a strong Super Smash and Gaze struggles over the next few weeks. Inglis wasn't great last season (10avg/93sr) and has been solid in HBJ Shield (27.6avg/94sr) to start this season.
NZ Warriors women squad so far…
Michaela Blyde: Clifton - halves
Tysha Ikenasio: Richmond - outside backs
Payton Takimoana: Mt Maunganui - outside backs
Kalyn Takitimu-Cook: Richmond - outside backs
Makayla Eli: Manurewa - edge forward/halves
Metanoia Fotu-Moala: Otahuhu - middle forward
Shakira Baker: Eketahuna - outside backs
Tyra Wetere: Rangataua - halves
Emmanita Paki: outside backs
Lavinia Tauhalaliku: Mangere East - outside backs
Matekino Gray: Rotorua Girls High School - edge/middle forward
Laishon Albert-Jones: Pt Chevalier - edge forward
Mya Hill-Moana: Taniwharau - middle forward
Harata Butler: Taniwharau - middle forward
Capri Paekau: Turangawaewae - hooker
Apii Nicholls: Otahuhu - fullback
All NRLWahine signed for 2025 with Aussie teams…
Cowboys: Abigail Roache, Najvada George
Broncos: Annetta Nu'uausala, Gayle Broughton, Mele Hufanga, Tafito Lafaele
Titans: Georgia Hale, Ngatokotoru Arakua, Sarina Masaga
Knights: Tiana Davison, Tenika Willison, Grace Kukutai, Isabella Waterman, Fane Finau
Bulldogs: Ash Quinlan, Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa, Alexis Tauaneai, Sarahcen Oliver, Maatuleio Fotu-Moala, Shaniece Monschau, Shaquaylah Mahakitau-Monschau
Eels: Noaria Kapua, Martha Mataele
Roosters: Otesa Pule
Sharks: Annessa Biddle, Brooke Anderson
Dragons: Raecene McGregor, Trinity Tauaneai
Raiders: Amelia Pasiakala, Cheyelle Robins-Reti, Leianne Tufuga, Madison Bartlett, Tatiana Finau, Claudia Finau
Prep mahi for the last Kiwi-NRL Summer Guide…
Sharks
Top-30: Kayal Iro (Mt Albert), Mawene Hiroti (Westerb Suburbs)
Train/Trial:
Curious about: Chris Vea'ila (Waitemata), Felix Fa'atili (Hornby)
Dragons
Top-30: Christian Tuipulotu (Otahuhu)
Train/Trial:
Curious about:
Raiders
Top-30: Ata Mariota (Manurewa), Simi Sasagi (Ellerslie)
Train/Trial: Jensen Taumoepeau (Western Suburbs)
Curious about:
Storm
Top-30: Alec MacDonald, Joe Chan, Moses Leo (Westlake Boys)
Train/Trial: Vaka Sikahele (Manurewa), Setu Tu (Otahuhu), Nathaniel Roache (Richmond), Morgan Harper (Ngaruawahia)
Curious about: Caius Fa'atili (Hornby), K-Ci Newton-Whare
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
There’s a January Transfer Window about to open amongst European football clubs. That means kiwis on the move, it always does. I’ll dig into this a little more in the next few newsletters because there are quite a few angles to watch. I’m anticipating the possibility of more NZers joining Meikayla Moore in the new Canadian women’s pro league. Libby Cacace’s about to enter the last six months of his Empoli contract, as is Chris Wood at Nottingham Forest though an extension is well in the works as we speak. Oscar Faulds is a bloke from the local league who could have a shout at getting back overseas. But the funkiest spot is surely Tyler Bindon.
Bindon hasn’t even turned 20 yet and is a week-in, week-out starter for Reading in England’s League One and he’s a capped international. A fella with that profile is going to turn up in many a scouting database search. TB’s been linked with Arsenal since a year ago, not sure how legitimate that is. But with Reading likely to have to sell players to appease the creditors, and a takeover not about to be completed any time soon, Tyler Bindon stands as the most bankable asset in the squad.
Blackburn Rovers got the ball rolling a few weeks ago with a cheeky rumour. Then Reading coach Ruben Selles left suddenly to take up the gig with Hull City so it’s no surprise now to see Hull City being linked with him. And they’re not the only ones. According to Football League World, Coventry City and Watford are also in the mix so that’s four English Championship clubs hovering around and the window hasn’t even begun yet. Watch this space.
The Wellington Phoenix Women have finally been able to confirm the signing of NZ international Amelia Abbott. The 23yo midfielder has finished up her time with the University of Texas and will link up with the Nix for the rest of the season. Not that anyone’s surprised – she’s been registered from the start of the season, listed in the ALW Season Guide and everything. Abbott’s already training with the squad so maybe we’ll even see her this week.
Abbott was capped right at the start of the Jitka Klimkova era when the Ferns had to dig into the USA college system due to covid travel restrictions but she’s probably better known as the midfield enforcer for the 2018 U17 World Cup side that finished third. With this, she joins Mackenzie Barry, Marisa van der Meer, Macey Fraser, Grace Wisnewski, Kelli Brown, and Georgia Candy as players from that U17s squad to have played for the Nix.
Not sure what to expect though. Texas are one of the best university teams in America so she’s been training at a pretty high level... but only training, for the most part. Paul Temple said in the press release that she’s been out of sight, out of mind due to the lack of access for NZers to that league. It also probably didn’t help that she only played 147 minutes across ten matches in four years. We’ve seen so many good kiwi players get undervalued in college footy that there’s no reason to worry about that fact – she was actually one of the standouts of that U17 WC squad so that’s the thing to focus on. We’ll see how she goes.
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Meanwhile there was mixed news through the week for The Wellington Phoenix blokes. The loss of Stefan Colakovski for the season with an ACL tear suffered at training is a huge blow. They’re already short on depth in attack and here goes one of the few genuinely proved A-League forwards that they had on the books. We’d only seen him in 20-30 min stints off the bench and Cola had some encouraging cameos and some quiet ones within that but there was definitely room for him to compete for a starting role down the line. And at the very least he was a reliable option on what has proven to be a limited bench lately.
Without him... they’ll just have to make the most of what they’ve got. This will present opportunities for some of the younger dudes. Luke Supyk was on the bench last week, his first matchday squad of the season having made four appearances off the bench last term. Oskar van Hattum has only played 80 minutes so far. Dunno what’s up with that. Nathan Walker shapes to benefit with more of a chance to feature in his actual position on the wing. Then there’s Gabe Sloane-Rodrigues and Luke Brooke-Smith ready to rock when required too. Those guys are all 16-18 years old except for Van Hattum (22). A couple years younger than guys like Matt Sheridan (20), Lukas Kelly-Heald (19), Isaac Hughes (20), or Corban Piper (22) so safe to say the forwards in the Nix Academy are a little more raw but Chiefy’s never been afraid to trust the young guns.
To that point, Academy captain Xuan Loke has been signed to a multi-year contract. He’s been with the Nix for two years and has made the bench a couple of times already this season – as well as debuting in the Aussie Cup. Loke is a fullback who can play on either side (though is a right-back by preference). He’ll be on scholarship terms for the rest of this season and next season. He’ll move to full contract status the year after. Loke’s an excellent prospect, one of the best the academy’s produced in the past 24 months, and this is fine reward for a guy with clear A-League upside. No dramas there.
They’ve also heavily reinforced those fullback positions because old mate Tim Payne – T.Payne himself – also signed a three-year extension during the week. He was due to be off contract after this season, instead he’ll be sticking around for the long-term. Doubtful that Auckland FC would have gone in for him despite Payne’s Auckland origins, which include notable stints with Auckland City and Eastern Suburbs, AFC are sorted in that position with Hiroki Sakai and Callan Elliot. But plenty of other ALM clubs would have loved to have him. Good business there.
Which also makes you wonder if Matt Sheridan’s long term future lies elsewhere than at RB. He’s played a lot of centre-back (in a three) this season as well as a game up on the wing in attack. He was a midfielder originally so a very versatile dude, a further lack of dramas on this point too. Lewis Partridge is a really talented fullback in the academy team as well.
Wellington Phoenix Squad Status
2024-25: David Ball (I), Scott Wootton (I), Marco Rojas, Stefan Colakovski, Mohamed Al-Taay, Sam Sutton, Oskar van Hattum, Corban Piper, Dublin Boon
2025-26: Kosta Barbarouses (option), Kazuki Nagasawa (I), Paolo Retre, Hideki Ishige (I), Alex Rufer, Josh Oluwayemi (I), Fin Roa Conchie, Luke Supyk
2026-27: Xuan Loke, Alby Kelly-Heald, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues, Jayden Smith, Luke Brooke-Smith
2027-28: Tim Payne, Isaac Hughes, Matt Sheridan, Nathan Walker
You know whose contract extension we’re still waiting for? Among a few others from that playing group... it’d also be cool if Giancarlo Italiano’s efforts were rewarded. He’s in the second year of a two-year deal.
Harry Brook’s Test Career vs New Zealand…
80 (81) & 54 (41) – Feb 2023 at Mount Maunganui
186 (176) & 0 (0) – Feb 2023 at Wellington
171 (197) & DNB – Nov 2024 at Christchurch
123 (115) & 55 (61) – Dec 2024 at Wellington
0 (1) & 1 (6) – Dec 2024 at Hamilton
So combine all that and he has scored 679 runs in nine innings against the Blackcaps, averaging 75.44 with a strike-rate of 100.14, and from those nine innings he has three centuries, three fifties, and two ducks. One was a golden duck, one was a diamond duck (run out without facing). The other score was his 1 the other day. If ever there was a dude where the phrase “got to get him early” applies then this is the one. Will O’Rourke got him out both times in the third Test that the Blackcaps won so if Harry Brook’s going to hang around as one of the world’s best batters in the upcoming generation – which he very likely will, that bloke is amazing – then at least we’ve got some kryptonite for him in the form of William “Smash Your Hands” O’Rourke.
The Breakers are on tonight and you know what that means... they’ll probably lose. They’ve lost the last six games in a row by a combined 132 points so it stands to reason. They are at Spark Arena though, against the Sydney Kings, and they are 3-0 at Spark Arena this term. That tells of two things: 1) they have only played 3/16 games at their main stadium somehow and the most recent was in early November, and 2) they haven’t played at Spark Arena since the Tacko Fall signing debacle.
That also doesn’t mean they haven’t played at home in that time, just that those home games have been in Christchurch, Wellington, and at their old home on the North Shore of Auckland. They lost all three of those games as part of the current losing streak. For some reason, the Breakers organised that tiki tour of the country immediately after a six-game road trip. Seriously, the amount of self-inflicted pain this franchise puts its team through. It baffles the mind.
CEO Lisa Edser did an extended sit down interview with 1News this week during which she threw out quotes like:
“I'd like to say to our fans I understand the frustration that they're feeling, but don't give up on us. We're not giving up... we're here every day, doing everything we can to turn this around and to get that next win. We need you there, not only for our good times, but when we're doing it tough. Stick by us, and come and show the guys you care, because it means so much.”
And also...
“There's no way you can deny a 7ft 6in guy is going to create a stir. Yes, we're aware of that... it sounds like it might turn into ticket sales or jersey sales, but it doesn't. The reality is fans come to basketball for the team. For us, it's more about the long term success of the Breakers and there are so many different elements to it.”
As well as...
“I have a knowledge of basketball, but not enough to sit here and tell you that bringing in Tacko will do xyz to the playing team. I trust in our scouts and I trust in our ownership, and I trust in our coaches to be able to adjust.”
That’s all cool, those are all good things to say (although tacitly admitting that coach had nothing to do with the roster change and was expected to “adjust” was maybe tipping the hand a little too far). But some bright soul decided to do the interview courtside while the team was training so all you can hear is bouncing balls and squeaking sneakers. Edser maintained that Freddie Gillespie asked for his release due to an offer he’d gotten, with a Euro out-clause that he held, but that doesn’t at all mean that he wasn’t nudged in that direction by the inevitable presence of Tacko Fall. We can all see how that went down.
Also, let’s be honest here, this was a 1News interview and the Breakers are part of the TVNZ+ broadcast package so it wasn’t going to be a scathing yarn. But credit to Edser all the same for fronting up. Especially since she was putting herself in the line of fire at the expense of the person who actually orchestrated the Fall signing, who has orchestrated lots of the dumb decisions that the Breakers have made over the past six years, but who is nowadays back in America shielded from it all and saying ridiculous shit with zero self-reflection like this...
Anyway, here’s a Musical Jam, enjoy your weekend...