Impacting The Culture
Blackcaps T20 squad, White Ferns woes, Kiwi-NRL prospect rankings, NZers in the NBL, Lydia Ko, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Wellington Phoenix ALW awards & more
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Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Weary Confidence vs Rabbitohs (Rugby League)
Flying Kiwis – April 2 (Football)
Football Ferns vs Thailand: Squad Yarns & Preview (Football)
Ben Old Has Dribbled His Way Into Golden Boy Status At The Wellington Phoenix (Football)
Exploring The Wellington Phoenix’s Newfound Defensive Excellence (Football)
Picking One Intriguing Player From Every NZ NBL Team (Basketball)
New Zealand's 10 Best Young Cricketers After The Summer Of 2023/24 (Cricket)
How Wellington Became 2023/24 Plunket Shield Champions (Cricket)
27fm Weekly Playlist: April 5 (Music)
Scotty’s Word
As discussed in our Subscriber Pod yesterday, Blackcaps named a fun T20 squad to play five games in Pakistan starting in a couple weeks. This squad is sneaky good and features a core group of players who are in the mix for T20 World Cup selection, as well as the fresh wave of youngsters ushered in by chief selector Sam Wells.
The most notable addition is Tim Robinson from Wellington who has a similar skillset to Finn Allen. Robinson also played a solid role in Wellington's Plunket Shield championship and as the best young hitter below the Blackcaps level, Robinson gets an opportunity. Everyone else has played cricket for Aotearoa before and everyone has pretty damn impressive T20 stats.
My T20 stat markers for high quality batting is averages over 25 with strike-rates over 140. For bowlers it's averaging less than 25 and conceding less than 8rpo. With those stats in mind, most of the lads named to showcase Aotearoa's depth are better than the stat markers (players in bold have impressive stats)...
Finn Allen: 29.65avg/168sr
Tim Robinson: 26.6avg/146sr
Tim Seifert: 26.1avg/129sr
Michael Bracewell: 29.7avg/134sr | 18.1avg/7.4rpo
Cole McConchie: 22.8avg/125sr | 32avg/7.5rpo
Mark Chapman: 25.9avg/132sr | 29.6avg/7.9rpo
Josh Clarkson: 27.7avg/147sr | 33.2avg/9.1rpo
Dean Foxcroft: 41.5avg/127sr | 34.1avg/7.8rpo
Jimmy Neesham: 24.1avg/142sr | 25.7avg/9rpo
Adam Milne: 23.8avg/7.8rpo
Ish Sodhi: 24.4avg/7.8rpo
Jacob Duffy: 27.5avg/8.6rpo
Ben Lister: 24.2avg/7.9rpo
Ben Sears: 19.6avg/7.8rpo
Will O'Rourke: 23.4avg/7.8rpo
Here are the players I have as likely T20 World Cup squad members: Michael Bracewell, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi
White Ferns have slumped to an 0-2 ODI series loss and will probably win the third game vs England. There have been good flashes in both ODIs but the lack of confidence within my loins that White Ferns can pounce on those flashes to win was proven correct. Here are how those good flashes have led to losses...
ODI Tahi
90/1 in 21st over - all out for 207 in 49th over
England 79/6 in 17th over - finish on 209/6 in 42nd over
ODI Rua
England 166/7 in 37th over - finish on 252 in 49 overs
166/5 in 40th over - finish on 196 in 45 overs
Below are players who haven't been playing very well in T20s and ODIs vs England. They are listed in order of concern with the most concerning at the top…
Maddy Green
T20s: 42 runs @ 10.5avg/75sr
ODIs: 16 runs @ 8avg/28sr
Hannah Rowe
T20s: 1w @ 72avg/10.2rpo
ODIs: 1w @ 76avg/5.4rpo
Fran Jonas
T20s: 3w @ 45.3avg/7.1rpo
ODIs: 2w @ 35.5avg/4.9rpo
Georgia Plimmer
T20s: 33 runs @ 16.5avg/97sr
ODIs: 24 runs @ 12avg/68sr
Lea Tahuhu
T20s: 3w @ 33.3avg/8.3rpo
ODIs: 3w @ 35.3avg/5.8rpo
Jess Kerr
T20s: 1w @ 102avg/6.3rpo
ODIs: 4w @ 24.5avg/4.9rpo
Lots of Benjamin Te Kura buzz floating around after he played his second NRL game for Broncos. Te Kura is massive and played for NZ-A last year despite rising through the Queensland system, although I don't expect Te Kura to chose Aotearoa Kiwis over Queensland. Jack Howarth was also playing in the Storm win over Broncos and he's got the same story as Te Kura, which was covered last year during the international window.
If either/both opt for Aotearoa ahead of Queensland, that would be a massive moment for rugby league in Aotearoa.
Fox Memorial footy is sparking up in Auckland and there are only a few teams named at the time of writing on Friday, but Mt Albert's team offers some NZ Warriors insights. William Piliu, Andrew Nansen, Paaua Papuni-Abbott, Noah Harmer-Campbell and Malachi Filipo are named for Mt Albert having been in or around NZW U21 teams so far this year. Uriah Tuli is a decorated junior from Christchurch who was overlooked for a while and despite not being in any NZW footy, he appears to have moved up to Auckland.
Pt Chevalier have Nehemiah Amoroa from NZW U21s and Quinnlan Tupou from NZW NSW Cup, along with Dylan Tavita who earned a NZW NSW Cup gig via Pt Chev.
Howick have Francis Tuimauga, Jeriko Talisau, Kalani Peyroux-Donaldson and Te Waaka Popata-Henare from NZW U19s.
The funkiest thing from this is pondering the difference between U21 Jersey Flegg and Fox Memorial. Every player is different and playing against men in Fox Memorial may be more beneficial than U21s for NZW. The only way to gauge how NZW view a young player is how they enter NSW Cup and this should serve as a reminder to stress less about NZW results at U21s level or below - the best U21 NZW players probably won't be playing much in that competition for example.
Tapping into that way of thinking, here are my top-10 NZW emerging players from Aotearoa who are yet to play NRL. Players like Ali Leiataua, Demitric Sifakula and Moala Graham-Taufa (Roosters) have already played NRL so this doesn't include them. Luke Hanson is an Aussie and he'd slot in around 7-10 if he was from NZ.
Jacob Laban (edge)
Setu Tu (wing)
Tanner Stowers-Smith (middle)
Zyon Maiu'u (middle)
Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (edge/middle)
Leka Halasima (edge/middle)
Jacob Auloa (hooker)
Harry Durbin (middle)
Sio Kali (centre/wing)
Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea (middle)
Stowers-Smith has pounced on his chance with Maiu'u missing a few games to start the NSW Cup season. Ieremia-Toeva has also impressed with steady game time in NSW Cup while Halasima hasn't played yet this season, but he's still ranked. Auloa and Durbin are ranked after entering NSW Cup in recent weeks. Kali and Tuipulotu-Vea are U19 lads now playing U21s, although I don't have much between them and another U19 lad Motu Pasikala.
Below are Lydia Ko stats prior to the LPGA Match Play event in Las Vegas where Ko shot +1 in the first round...
Average Driving Distance: 251.25m - 109th
Diving Accuracy: 70.3% - 110th
Greens in Regulation: 73% - 25th
Putting Average: 28.4 - 9th
Putts per GiR: 1.7 - 23rd
Sand Saves: 76.4% - 2nd
Scoring Average: 69.2 - 3rd
Rounds Under Par: 18 - 3rd
Driving Accuracy
2019: 70.08%
2020: 66.62%
2021: 65.52%
2022: 66.44%
2023: 62.61%
2024: 70.36%
Putting Average | Scoring Average
2019: 29.15 | 70.98
2020: 29.13 | 70.26
2021: 28.79 | 69.33
2022: 28.61 | 68.99
2023: 28.92 | 71.25
2024: 28.4 | 69.2
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
Fascinating news about Charlisse Leger-Walker the other day with reports that she is going to enter the NCAA transfer portal. In other words, not only is she returning to college for one last season but she’s going to do it somewhere other than Washington State, despite basically being their greatest ever player. Women’s college basketball is at an all-time high right now in large part thanks to the Caitlin Clark phenomenon and it seems as though the upcoming draft class is going to be absolutely stacked (although perhaps not so much in terms of point guards).
That’s not really what this is about though. She’s not trying to work the best draft position, she’s trying to prove herself after her ACL injury. There’s a very a quick-turnaround from NCAA National Tourney to the start of the WNBA, which runs largely through the NBA’s offseason, so with the timing of CLW’s injury she was going to miss the entire 2024 WNBA season regardless. She may still have been drafted – prior to the knee thing she’d have been close to a lock. But there was going to be another college season anyway before she got to play WNBA so she might as well get amongst that too. Show that she’s back in tip top shape. Perhaps even at one of the top schools in the country. Then see about getting drafted in 2025.
Remember that CLW has not won a game at the national tournament. She competed three times and lost in the first round three times. Those were the first times that WSU have made it to the big show in a couple of decades... and they failed to qualify this year without Leger-Walker (although they did make it to the final of a leftovers tournament). Also, WSU are moving conferences from the Pac-12 to the West Coast Conference next season. There are reasons for that but it probably puts them in weaker competition. That could be another factor in this decision.
NZers in the ALW This Season
Minutes Played
Mackenzie Barry (Wellington Phoenix) – 1726
Hannah Wilkinson (Melbourne City) – 1720
Liz Anton (Perth Glory) – 1701
Rebekah Stott (Melbourne City) – 1680
Hannah Blake (Adelaide United) – 1585
Completed Passes
Rebekah Stott (Melbourne City) – 1353
Mackenzie Barry (Wellington Phoenix) – 785
Liz Anton (Perth Glory) – 748
Michaela Foster (Wellington Phoenix) – 708
Macey Fraser (Wellington Phoenix) – 608
Tackles Won
Macey Fraser (Wellington Phoenix) – 37
Zoe McMeeken (Wellington Phoenix) – 32
Mackenzie Barry (Wellington Phoenix) – 30
Kate Taylor (Wellington Phoenix) – 28
Michaela Foster (Wellington Phoenix) – 22
Interceptions
Rebekah Stott (Melbourne City) – 47
Michaela Foster (Wellington Phoenix) – 39
Mackenzie Barry (Wellington Phoenix) – 37
Liz Anton (Perth Glory) – 33
Kate Taylor (Wellington Phoenix) - 31
Clearances
Mackenzie Barry (Wellington Phoenix) – 83
Liz Anton (Perth Glory) – 79
Rebecca Lake (Wellington Phoenix) – 74
Michaela Foster (Wellington Phoenix) – 51
Zoe McMeeken (Wellington Phoenix) – 36
Lessons learned from those numbers, which are mostly defensive ones after I threw out some attacking ones on Monday, include that the Wellington Phoenix have most of the kiwi defenders and therefore dominate these yarns. It’s basically just Rebekah Stott and Liz Anton otherwise. Stotty not only led the NZers in completed passes but she led the entire league, just as Katie Bowen did in the same position for the same club last year. Great to see both her and Hannah Wilkinson getting so many minutes for Melbourne City. Not at all surprised about that, but it’s still great… especially as they’re the only kiwis to have made it to the ALW finals. All the others fell outside the top six.
The other one that’s worth a line is tackles won, where Macey Fraser proves she’s far more than just an attacking weapon. That shouldn’t be a shocker to anyone who was paying attention to the Welly Nix but it’s worth repeating anyway. Also got Zoe McMeeken right up there despite playing half the minutes of me of those others. Huge strides from her this season, literally and figuratively. Year one she was very raw and pretty clearly out of her depth. Year two she hardly played. Year three she came back reinvigorated with a roaming fullback role that did come with its risks but also highlighted her strengths as a footballer and as an athlete. If they were offering a Most Improved award for the Welly Nix women then that’s where it’s gotta go. In fact, that’s not a bad idea. NBA style Welly Nix awards incoming...
Player of the Season: Mariana Speckmaier. It seems there are three options here: Specky, Macey Fraser, and Mackenzie Barry (IMO)... and there are cases to be made for each, though Speckmaier’s goals were ultimately what carried this team to their best finish yet. This was the essential piece of the puzzle that they missed last time and the Venezuelan international provided it.
Golden Boot: Mariana Speckmaier with 10 goals and a powerful impact on the team’s attacking potency even aside from the goals. The Nix’s xG minus xGA with Specks on the pitch was +9.1, the best mark in the entire squad.
Defensive Player of the Season: Mackenzie Barry, in part because she was there the whole time. A dominant ball-winner who continues to grow as a leader in this backline. Had to shuffle through different CB partners throughout (Marisa van der Meer to Rebecca Lake to Tiana Jaber and even a hint of Kate Taylor) and just never looked fazed.
Most Improved Player: Zoe McMeeken for reasons already stated.
Rookie of the Season: Macey Fraser because who else could it possibly have been? First year as a pro and she was in the mix for Player of the Season, absolutely integral to the team’s Small Ball strategy and to their creative prowess.
Goal of the Season: Macey Fraser’s free kick, come on now. That goal had a cultural effect.
Minutes By NZers in the Australian NBL
Shea Ili (Melbourne United) – 880
Izayah Le’afa (NZ Breakers) – 739
Tai Webster (Perth Wildcats) – 653
Sam Waardenburg (Cairns Taipans) – 652
Tyrell Harrison (Brisbane Bullets) – 565
Tom Abercrombie (NZ Breakers) – 556
Reuben Te Rangi (SEM Phoenix) – 529
Hyrum Harris (Perth Wildcats) – 467
Sam Mennenga (Cairns Taipans) – 459
Finn Delany (NZ Breakers) – 446
Flynn Cameron (Melbourne United) – 291
Corey Webster (Perth Wildcats) – 269
Tohi Smith-Milner (Adelaide 36ers) – 151
Anzac Rissetto (SEM Phoenix) – 127
Rob Loe (Melbourne United) – 120
Dan Fotu (NZ Breakers) – 63
Tom Vodanovich (Tasmania JackJumpers) – 53
Walter Brown (Tasmania JackJumpers) – 8
Dontae Russo-Nance (Perth Wildcats) – 8
Sam Timmins (Sydney Kings) – 7
Jack Andrew (Perth Wildcats) – 5
Alex McNaught (NZ Breakers) – 3
Max Darling (NZ Breakres) – 1
Dom Kelman-Poto (NZ Breakers) – 1
24 different kiwis took the floor during NBL24, a new record for Aotearoa participation. A few of them hardly played, sure, but they were mostly Development Players and that’s always the case. Two of them came away with championships: Vodanovich and Brown. Carlin Davison was with the Breakers but never got on the floor. Also not yet sure whether Keanu Rasmussen should count – he played five mins for Adelaide and if you’re curious about him he was mentioned in this NZ NBL yarn from earlier this week. For now I’ll leave him off the list though.
Here’s an updated graph from an old article I wrote, can’t even remember which it was...
The percentages here could have been skewed by there simply being more kiwis involved overall, but the Breakers also used one fewer NZer this time and as you can see four of them played less than 100 mins, with three of those less than ten. Finn Delany’s injury was a factor in that but was recruitment. But they have added Sam Mennenga for next time which is a positive step. Kiwis got 1809 minutes at the Breakers, down from 2540 last season (although that did include a finals run, hence more games). Kiwi mins at Aussie teams when up from 11 players for 3212 mins to 17 players for 5244 mins. Outrageously good areas.
Free agency for NBL25 begins in ten days’ time, though teams are already deep into the mangroves on all those tasks. As things stand, here’s how we’re looking...
Contracted:
Tyrell Harrison (Brisbane), Sam Waardenburg (Cairns - Signed one-year extension), Shea Ili & Flynn Cameron (Melbourne United), Sam Mennenga (NZ Breakers – Released from second year with Cairns, signed 2yr deal with NZB), Max Darling & Carlin Davison (NZ Breakers – second year scholarship deals), Hyrum Harris (Perth Wildcats), Dontae Russo-Nance (Perth – Elevated from DP to Full in second year of his contract), Walter Brown (Tasmania - DP)
Free Agents:
Tohi Smith-Milner & Keanu Rasmussen (Adelaide), Rob Loe (Melbourne – Retired), Tom Abercrombie (NZ Breakers – Retired), Izayah Le’afa, Alex McNaught, Dom Kelman-Poto & Dan Fotu (NZ Breakers), Corey Webster & Tai Webster (Perth – Team Options pending), Jack Andrew (Perth), Anzac Rissetto (SEM – Team Option declined, would have moved from DP to Full), Reuben Te Rangi (SEM – Team Option pending), Sam Timmins (Sydney), Tom Vodanovich (Tasmania)
Everything is of course subject to change. Would expect the Wildcats to release Corey Webster but they’ll surely want to keep Brother Tai around. Not got a good feeling about Reuben Te Rangi’s spot with SEM, though Le’afa is a high chance of being re-signed by the Breakers… who it’s whispered might be keen on Anzac Rissetto too. Let’s see that happen, please.
Here’s a graphic of every Premier League goal that Chris Wood has scored in his career. His banger against Fulham the other day was just the third out of 66 from outside the penalty area...
And here’s a tune to take you into the weekend. Remember: 3pm on Saturday is the Football Ferns vs Thailand, then at 5pm the Warriors face the Rabbitohs, and at 7.30 the Wellington Phoenix play Central Coast Mariners (in a game that would almost clinch the Premiers Plate if they win – one of the biggest games in the club’s history)...