El Niche Cache
February 15, 2020
Podcast
Subscribe to the Niche Cast for two Aotearoa sports podcasts each week.
iTunes | Spotify | Youtube | TNC
Reading Menu
It’s Time To Get Excited About Joseph Parker vs Junior Fa (Boxing)
2020/21 Aotearoa Super Smash: Canterbury Magicians Championship Debrief (Cricket)
2020/21 Aotearoa Super Smash: Wellington Firebirds Championship Debrief (Cricket)
2020/21 Aotearoa Super Smash All Stars (Cricket)
2020/21 Aotearoa Women's Super Smash All Stars (Cricket)
27fm Album Jukebox – January 2021 (Music)
Further Adventures In The Welly Nix’s Lack Of Goal Scoring (Football)
Monday Morning Dummy Half: The Funky Aotearoa Eels (NRL)
Support the Niche Cache via Patreon. It’s the best way to keep the kiwi sports content flowing and help us take some throwdowns to stay better.
Scotty’s Word
As expected, the Blackcaps T20I squad wasn’t shaken up too much after the Super Smash. Conveniently, an injury to Martin Guptill has eased the pressure on that selection conundrum as Finn Allen is covering Guptill should he be scratched from the squad. It seems as though Colin Munro’s decision to play Big Bash League ahead of Super Smash cricket does have legit consequences and that doesn’t bode well for any kiwi cricketer with hopes of feeling those BBL vibes.
The bowlers largely select themselves as far as the top-tier goes, while Hamish Bennett gets the fringe seamer spot. That puts Bennett ahead of Blair Tickner who finished 1st in Super Smash wickets and then Scott Kuggeleijn. All are probably behind Lockie Ferguson?
Players from the T20I squad vs West Indies and Pakistan, not selected vs Australia:
Todd Astle, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Doug Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Ross Taylor.
Similar check with the White Ferns ODI squad to face England.
Players from WF squad vs Australia (last year), not selected vs England:
Suzie Bates, Rosemary Mair, Lauren Down, Deanna Doughty, Holly Huddleston, Katie Perkins, Jess Watkin.
And the White Ferns T20I squad to face England.
Players from WF T20I squad vs Australia, not selected vs England:
Bates, Natalie Dodd, Down, Doughty, Huddleston, Perkins, Watkin.
For both the Blackcaps and White Ferns, these are hefty series coming up. No matter what Gavin Larsen or whatever says, neither squad feels like the strongest possible squads across those three levels (Blackcaps T20I, WF T20I and WF ODI). The Blackcaps squad is close, but I reckon there are a few tweaks on offer and that what we see vs Australia (in Aotearoa) will differ to T20 World Cup squads.
The White Ferns squads appear to me to be all about seeing what players can do. Nothing about that is negative, just don’t think that these are the strongest possible WF teams on offer (injury related and not injury related). Take the young spinner Fran Jonas for example, who makes for good headlines and is undoubtedly a talented spinner. I have Amelia Kerr, Leigh Kasperek and Anna Peterson all ahead of Jonas though.
I’ll break down all these squads in proper fashion in the coming days, right now I’m just trying to suss the vibes. For the White Ferns, they clearly have the intention of spreading out the opportunities to allow different players the chance to step up to international cricket. Neither squad resembles a 1st 11 or top-14.
The Blackcaps are low key taking a Test seam bowling group into a T20I series vs Australia. I reckon we will be graced with clear batting insights from this series to help us sort through the options as I’m zoned in on the gritty T20 type of innings recently, I’m eager to see which Blackcaps batsmen can salvage an innings vs Australia.
Wildcard’s Notebook
I watched six games of football within the space of about 20 hours on Sunday, that’s more time watching football than not watching football. And it includes about four hours of sleep too. Four Premiership games (I watched the Saturday game on replay the next morning because Saturday was for Super Smash, baby) plus the Wellington Phoenix plus, after a small break, West Brom vs Man Utd in the middle of the night. So much football that I can’t hardly think of anything else right now. My brain is fried. I love it. With 11 games remaining in the Premiership season I have not missed a single minute. See, these are the lengths that we go to here at The Niche Cache in order to serve up the goods. Support us on Patreon if you dig.
The Hamilton vs Waitakere game, which ended 3-2, was one of the best games of football I’ve seen in ages. The first half was kinda dull but the second half was insanity personified. Or whatever the football match version of personification is. Wanderers scored on 54 mins. Waitakere were 2-1 up by 61 mins. Hamilton won a penalty then missed it. There was an utterly incredible goal-line clearance by HW. Then deep into stoppage time this happened...
And then soon after the game this happened...
Tieku was waiting to do the next interview so it’s not complete coincidence that he lined up in frame so perfectly there but it also can’t have been deliberate. Just a beautiful twist of fate. Like, I actually can’t stop thinking about that image and all it represents about the joy and the pain of the sporting experience. One person’s heartbreak is another’s triumph and it doesn’t always take turns like it should. But that’s why we love it, right? Kobe Bryant once said that sports are the purest metaphor that we have for life itself and he was not wrong. Even in the awful moments it’s still beautiful. Shout out to Derek Tieku on a wonderful (and timely) hat-trick.
Team of the Week coming up in a sec but first gotta show ya Paige Satchell’s first W-League goal. The Footy Ferns half of Flying Kiwis has been frustrating lately as players simply don’t play either due to postponements of because some of the girls just aren’t getting picked for whatever reason. But the W-League crew have been amazing. Even when the one established player in Annalie Longo got injured they’ve still been amazing. Basically all seven are regular starters. Longo, Satchell, Claudia Bunge & Liz Anton have all scored goals while Olivia Chance and Bunge have both made Teams of the Week and Lily Alfeld has won two Saves of the Week nods.
Men’s Premiership Team of the Week – Week 12
GK – Oscar Mason (Hawke’s Bay United) – The dude is 16 years old. He was making his Premiership debut. His team had to come from behind to win 3-2 and keep their semi hopes alive and he was pretty much flawless... including a huge save off Riley Bidois just before Ahmed Othman went and scored the winner. Probably gonna hear a bit more from this fella over coming the years.
RB – Dylan Morris (Hamilton Wanderers) – He’s a makeshift fullback but he’s done a great job for Wanderers, never better than in their win against Waitakere where he not only helped set up the second goal with some typically fine work getting forward but he also made a mid-air goal-line block while it was still 2-2 that’s as good a save as any goalkeeper could’ve made and he did it without the use of his hands. Absolutely incredible block.
CB – Taylor Schrijvers (Team Wellington) – The first of several TeeDubs after their stunning 7-0 win over Eastern Suburbs. You’d think a 7-0 win there’s not a lot of defending to be done. That wasn’t the case here though. However Schrijvers set a tone early and maintained it throughout, narrowly edging the Auckland City duo of Adam Mitchell and Brian Kaltack since I didn’t know which of them to pick.
CB – Tino Contratti (Hamilton Wanderers) – That was his cross that led to the 94th minute winning goal. A centreback hanging out on the right wing to deliver a crucial moment in the season, that’s Tino Contratti for ya. Cam so close to scoring a couple times himself earlier while his defensive work was typically enormous.
LB – Ahmed Othman (Hawke’s Bay United) – Quietly one of the form players in the league right now. His conversion to a wingback has been massive, giving them a genuine attacking weapon out wide and his winner against the WeeNix was his third goal in four weeks from that spot.
CM – Cory Mitchell (Canterbury United) – For 70 minutes the Dragons held ACFC out with sturdy defence and a very timely press, Cory Mitchell at the heart of both of those aspects. Typically tireless, typically excellent in a role that slides under the radar. Was thinking watching that game that Cory Mitchell might just be the most underrated player in the competition.
CM – Ollie Whyte (Team Wellington) – Back from Turkey and looking better than ever, the way Whyte kept that ball rolling around the pitch at pace for TW was superb. To think this was his first start since his return. Could be just the shot in the arm that the TeeDubs need heading into the semis.
CM – Andy Bevin (Team Wellington) – Just immense. He was untouchable, he basically teleported into space time and time again as the Suburbs defence had no answer to his movement. A couple goals plus an assist as well as the pressure that led to the opening goal. There are very few players in Aotearoa as awesome to watch as Andy Bevin at his peak.
FW – Jorge Akers (Hawke’s Bay United) – A couple goals for the young lad who this season has emerged in his preferred attacking role and has done lovely for them there since Jesse Randall left. The two goals were nice, the finish for the first one especially. But can’t ignore his work in leading the press in the first half either when HBU looked fantastic.
FW – Hamish Watson (Team Wellington) – Well, obviously.
FW – Derek Tieku (Hamilton Wanderers) – See above.