El Niche Cache
June 26, 2020
The Niche Cast Podcast
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Scotty’s Word
On Sunday we have Dan Hooker fighting Dustin Poirier in the UFC - an epic moment for Hooker to establish himself as a contender in the lightweight division. I’ll do a tactical/stylistic preview tomorrow morning, for today though I want to highlight some of the logistics and background info that I’ve gathered through all the Youtube interviews that happen in fight week.
City Kickboxing coach Eugene Bareman is in Las Vegas for Hooker’s fight, then he is stuck in Las Vegas before flying to UAE for Alex Volkanovski’s rematch vs Max Holloway on July 11 (Volkanovski’s an Aussie who usually spends training time with CKB and won the featherweight title with CKB’s help). If Bareman returned to NZ after Hooker’s fight, he would have a two week quarantine and would miss Volkanovski’s fight. Instead, Bareman stays in LV, flies to UAE and will then have the two week hibernation upon his return - due back at CKB and with whanau in four-five weeks time.
Andrei Paulet (former Commonwealth Games wrestler, CKB wrestling coach) and Mike Angove (former kickboxer, boxing commentator, CKB coach) will be with Bareman in Hooker’s corner. Paulet and Angove return to Aotearoa after Hooker’s fight, two week quarantine for them upon their return. For Paulet and Angove, that turns a one week trip into a three week trip away from whanau.
Bareman told Combat TV that we won’t leave his room in LV much - plenty of time to watch film and prep Volkanovski.
Sparring sessions will be filmed at CKB for Bareman to view - most notably Israel Adesanya preparing for a title defence in August-ish.
Three coaches away from CKB for at least three weeks, plus wrestling guru Frank Hickman is based in Thailand having come to CKB for various camps previously. Hickman and Paulet are extremely influential in ensuring that CKB’s UFC fighters don’t fall victim to grapplers (wrestling/jiu-jitsu).
Dan Hooker’s previous work visa for USA entry expired - Hooker didn’t get his visa for entry until late last week via slick work from the USA embassy in Aotearoa.
Among all of that Hooker has the biggest fight of his life, Volkanovski’s preparing for his first title rematch and CKB the business has to continue via a rather amazing team.
Did a wee count of #KiwiNRL numbers in the NRL this weekend. I’ve counted the lads who I’ve deemed as being recruited out of Aotearoa by an NRL club and in brackets is the number of players who are #KiwiNRL players but weren’t recruited by a club - born in Australia (Reimis Smith) or moved to Australia as a youngers (Kieran Foran).
This isn’t fool-proof and is based around my weird rationale for #KiwiNRL players, plus these numbers change week to week. The point is to try and show the presence of players from Aotearoa who are recruited by Australian clubs as everyone seems to think that the Warriors have the luxury of picking anyone they want from Aotearoa (I mentioned in a recent pod that the competition for talent also involves Super Rugby).
Here are the numbers…
Panthers - 2 (4)
Rabbitohs - 0
Storm - 5
Warriors - 14
Roosters - 4 (5)
Dragons - 0
Cowboys - 4 (4)
Knights - 1 (1)
Broncos - 2 (3)
Titans - 2 (4)
Eels - 2 (3)
Raiders - 4 (5)
Sea Eagles - 2 (5)
Sharks - 3 (6)
Bulldogs - 4 (8)
Tigers - 4 (4)
All clubs have #KiwiNRL players in their squads, even though Dragons and Rabbitohs have zero named this weekend.
I see another ‘premium’ yarn about Gemma McCaw’s retirement from the Black Sticks Women - remember a few weeks back there was a yarn about dramas in the Black Sticks Women again that I spoke a bit about but can’t really because I ain’t reading no silly premium yarn. Here I am again and I’m making this clear that I have not read the latest story, I’m merely sharing my thought process…
McCaw retired a while ago, when Mark Hager was coach, prior to the Hager dramas.
That was likely baby-related, same with Kayla Whitelock. Other players also vanished from the Black Sticks during the latter stages of Hager’s reign.
McCaw then made the choice to return with the new coach Graham Shaw.
McCaw would have been well aware of Hager’s style and I reckon McCaw would have done due dilligence around Shaw’s style before deciding to return.
To suggest that McCaw’s retirement now is related to Shaw dramas in the Black Sticks Women is weird given that McCaw would have surely known everything she left with Hager and what she was getting into with Shaw.
I know no details, this is just how I assess the situation from a bird’s eye view.
To be completely honest, I just want the Black Sticks Women to move forward from the previous era. That involves the players who can’t decide if they are retired or not and consistently toy with the team regarding their involvement.
Under Shaw, the Black Sticks were pretty damn good in the FIH Pro League this year and (2020 Pro League future pending) are 3rd (of 9). Prior to the pandemic the kiwis enjoyed a great home leg against Argentina (1st) with a 1-1 draw that became a shootout loss and then a 5-3 win. That’s much better than the Black Sticks Men and all signs were good for the women from their fixtures in Aotearoa.
Kiwi hip-hop is beautiful:
Wildcard’s Notebook
Yo, we got the World Cup! Aussie and Aotearoa together #AsOne, 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It became pretty clear over the last few weeks that it was the outstanding bid that Down Under had strung together but FIFA always comes with the potential of mass shenanigans and this situation was no different. What exactly prompted the UEFA delegates to prefer Colombia’s potential I’m not entirely sure... but the vote came through 22 votes for us and 13 votes for them so it was a relatively handy win in the end. But I’m gonna write a full length piece about that starting as soon as I get done with this bad boy so strap yourself in for that and keep an eye out.
Instead I wanna focus on a much more harrowing footballing experience that I just had... watching Liverpool win the Premier League title for literally the first time in my lifetime. It pains me, not gonna lie. Even though I’d long since acknowledged and even come to accept the fact that it was inevitable it’s still horrible once the time actually arises. Best team by far. Incredible squad. Mentality of the gods. Inspiring manager. Gorgeous football. Passionate supporters. Deserved champs by a mile. Yeah, whatever, it still sucks.
As a Manchester United fan, I’m far from neutral in this scenario. And I’d already had to accept the devil’s bargain from last season of hoping Manchester City, our second biggest rivals IMO (although coming up in the era that I did I also have a soft spot for the Man Utd vs Arsenal superbattles of yore), would win just so that Liverpool, rivals numero uno, would not. City have already won a few titles in recent years and at least we can say they bought their way to the top. But that psychically damaging compromise and accepting a reality in which Liverpool are Premier League champs probably aren’t so far apart to be honest.
Still, I reckon most neutrals would have been in my boat wanting City to win against Chelsea so that the title could be decided in the perfect fashion (apart from the no fans thing): Manchester City vs Liverpool, Friday morning at 7.15am. A City win against Chelsea would have allowed for that, for Liverpool to get over the line by their own immediate efforts, and it would have delayed the inevitable just a little longer. Then again, I’m realising now that I kinda prefer the title to be confirmed in a way where I don’t have to see them Reds celebrate. Not such a terrible alternative as it turns out... though it would’ve been nice if City could at least have drawn and thus kept Chelsea within three points of United for fourth place. If Raheem Sterling had only finished that chance that came back off the post they probably would have but Sterling is endlessly frustrating like that, he’s so incredibly talented but his finishing is complete arse. Liverpool fans already knew that but for once it worked in their favour. That and Fernandinho’s sneaky left hand. So it goes.
Liverpool therefore enter the baffling territory (in a baffling year) of being the earliest team to ever confirm the English league title having done so with seven games left to play (not just the Premier League but the entire history of the First Division before that... which is what it was called the last time they won it lol)... yet they’re also the latest team to ever win it because of the extended season going into late June and beyond. The earliest and the latest all at once. Ain’t the world just full of contradictions? Liverpool become the seventh club to lift the Premier League trophy since its inception, which was a question on The Chase the other night (love that show). Pretty sure you’ll be able to name the other six... whether you can name all eleven managers to have won it now is another question. Answers at the end, chieftain.
Anyway, from the bottom of my cold dead heart I’d like to congratulate all them Liverpool players for now having as many PL winner’s medals as the likes of: Loïc Rémy, Alexander Büttner, Darron Gibson, Costel Pantilimon, Mark Bosnich... and one more than Steven Gerrard. Except for James Milner coz he’s got three now. Such an underrated player his whole career, that dude.
Hey check it out the dude from IDLES, aka the most essential rock and roll band of our current moment, has himself a cheeky little chat show thing going. Enjoyed this one...
And, speaking of contradictions earlier, here’s something else kinda interesting that I’ve been pondering on lately...
Premier League winning managers: Alex Ferguson (x13), Kenny Dalglish, Arsene Wenger (x3), Jose Mourinho (x3), Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini, Claudio Ranieri, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola (x2) & Jurgen Bloody Klopp.
Reading Menu
Diary Of An Aotearoa Warriors Fan: Mundane Warriors (NRL)
First Impressions Of The NBL Showdown (Basketball)
Flying Kiwis – June 23 (Football)