Jumping The Pyramid
Warriors signings breakdown, Oskar Zawada rumours, Flying Kiwis transfer speculation, 'Battle of Aotearoa' rugby league premonitions, Cantebury Rams/NBL & more
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Kiwi-NRL Spotlight: A Starford To'a Celebration (Rugby League)
Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Tamatea Tohu & The Broncos (Rugby League)
Flying Kiwis – May 23 (Football)
Aotearoa at the 2023 Men’s U20 World Cup: Victory Against Guatemala (Football)
Aotearoa at the 2023 Men’s U20 World Cup: Blocks and Bangers vs Uzbekistan (Football)
The 2023 Wellington Phoenix Offseason Preview – Part 1: The Women (Football)
The 2023 Wellington Phoenix Offseason Preview – Part 2: The Men (Football)
2023 Kiwi County Tour: Matt Henry Slugging, Ajaz Patel's 10 Wicket Baggy (Cricket)
Joseph Parker Did The Knockout Thing Against Faiga Opelu, So That Was Nice (Boxing)
27fm Weekly Playlist: May 22 (Music)
Scotty’s Word
NZ Warriors have made three signings this year that deserve a wee breakdown. Earlier this week Warriors announced the signing of Chanel Harris-Tavita, which can be weaved together with the signing Tom Summer for SG Ball and Rover Tuivasa-Sheck. Three things stand out as themes across these three signings:
Sneaky business
Might be cheaper than you’d think
Versatility
Sneaky business
All the Tuivasa-Sheck noise was about a return to Roosters via Aussie folks. Harris-Tavita was retired for all we knew and no one was expecting Warriors to sign an Australian junior for their SG Ball team. Summer is moving from Australia to Aotearoa as a teenager. I view Tuivasa-Sheck and Harris-Tavita as casualties of the pandemic. Having endured various degrees of pandemic niggle with Warriors, this took a toll on both. Now they return to Warriors because they want to.
Might be cheaper than you’d think
As noted in a previous newsletter, the Summer signing is about filling a need at the junior level (passing forwards) so Warriors don't need to find a more expensive option later. Harris-Tavita won’t a big deal after a year off footy and along with Tuivasa-Sheck, they want to be in Auckland, hence they probably accepted less money than they could have got elsewhere. Then again, they may be on similar deals to their previous contracts with Warriors and as we know the salary cap is increasing ($9.6mil last year to $12.1mil this year).
Versatility
All three players cover multiple positions. Summer was announced by Warriors as a 'back rower' and he's playing as a prop in this highlights package. Summer came off the bench for Tweed Heads Under 18s this year and while I reckon he's a passing middle, he fits the versatile mould.
Tuivasa-Sheck can play every backline position and is so humble, he will probably be happy to do so. Harris-Tavita played one game at the World Cup in the halves for Samoa. He also played hooker and came off the bench, while Warriors fans have seen him play nearly every position.
Most Warriors outside backs can cover centre and wing. Luke Metcalf makes his debut for Warriors in the halves and he can play fullback as well. Dylan Walker has played middle forward and halves this season. Marata Niukore and Mitchell Barnett can play middle and edge. Demitric Sifakula is getting his NRL minutes through the middle, having played most NSW Cup games as an edge forward.
Warriors have been battling injuries and suspension all season. They are dipping deep into their top-30 squad and we have already seen players play any role that is required. Having more good players also helps cover the grind of an NRL season and Warriors seem to be building a roster full of versatile, skillful, intuitive players.
NZ Warriors vs Broncos will feature some fabulous Kiwi-NRL Broncos...
Jordan Riki - Hornby/Christchurch
18 games, 22 games, 12 games
70+ minutes in every game this season
2+ missed tackles in 11 games, less than 100m in every game (less than 45m in last two)
Deine Mariner - Marist/Auckland
2022: 8 games, 8 tries, 6 linebreaks, 85.8% tackling, 135m/game
2023: 8 games, 6 tries, 8 linebreaks, 77.8% tackling, 121m/game
Xavier Willison - Waicoa Bay/Hamilton (maybe a Taharoa link via Willison whanau?)
7 games, 1 try, 12 tackle busts, 3 offloads, 146m/game
Last night Dolphins defeated Dragons. Jamayne Isaako (Aranui) is having the best season of his career for Dolphins...
Most tries: 12
Most linebreaks: 13
Best tackling: 46 @ 85.18%
Most metres per game: 160m
I have Isaako as a starting Aotearoa Kiwis winger, boosted by his goal-kicking. Ronaldo Mulitalo and Jordan Rapana other top-notch Aotearoa wingers.
Big bounce back game for Connelly Lemuelu (Tangaroa College)...
17 runs - 149m @ 8.76/run, 3 offloads, 36 tackles @ 97%
Here is a draft for the 'Battle of Aotearoa'. Tamaki Makarau (Auckland) vs Aotearoa to be played during State of Origin, welcoming players eligible for all nations who played junior footy in Aotearoa...
Tamaki Makaurau
Fullback: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Wingers: Ronaldo Mulitalo, Greg Marzhew
Centres: Starford To'a, Matthew Timoko
Halves: Shaun Johnson, Kieran Foran
Hooker: Brandon Smith
Middles: Jesse Bromwich, Moses Leota, Jason Taumalolo
Edges: Sitili Tupouniua, Isaiah Papali'i
Bench: Kenny Bromwich, Isaac Liu, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Marata Niukore
Development: Erin Clark, Connelly Lemuelu
Aotearoa
Fullback: Hayze Perham
Wingers: Jamayne Isaako, Jordan Rapana
Centres: Joseph Manu, Rocco Berry
Halves: Jahrome Hughes, Dylan Brown
Hooker: Jeremy Marshall-King
Middles: Joseph Tapine, James Fisher-Harris, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
Edges: Briton Nikora, Jordan Riki
Bench: Kodi Nikorima, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Griffin Neame, Leo Thompson
Development: Wiremu Greig, Will Warbrick
Players in NRLW who have been in Kiwi Ferns squads...
Cowboys: Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly
Broncos: Brianna Clark, Annetta Nu'uausala, Mele Hufanga
Titans: Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell, Georgia Hale
Knights: Abigail Roache, Laishon Albert-Jones, Shanice Parker, Nita Maynard
Roosters: Amber Hall, Teuila Fotu-Moala, Otesa Pule, Mya Hill-Moana
Eels: Shannon Muru
Sharks: Kiana Takairangi, Harata Butler
Dragons: Raecene McGregor, Page McGregor, Roxy Murdoch-Masila
Raiders: Apii Nicholls, Madison Bartlett
Players in NRLW who have not been in Kiwi Ferns squads...
Cowboys: April Ngatupuna, Tiana Raftstrand-Smith
Broncos: Gayle Broughton, Tafito Lafaele
Titans: Niall Williams
Roosters: Alexandrea Kiriwi
Eels: Capri Paekau
Tigers: Leianne Tufuga
Dragons: Tyla Nathan-Wong, Cortez Te Pou, Alexi Tauaneai
Raiders: Mackenzie Wiki, Cheyelle Robins-Reti, Kerehitina Matua
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
Wellington Phoenix striker Oskar Zawada did an interview a couple weeks ago with an outlet back in his native Poland, where he and the fam are chilling in their offseason, in which he talked about a few different things. I screenshotted a bit about him praising the forward-planning and consistent decision-making of the Welly Nix which fitted beautifully into the point I was making in my offseason preview yarn. There was also a bit in which he did mention that there was a possibility of him leaving the Nix despite being under contract.
“Something may happen, but for now it is still difficult for me to say anything. If I have the opportunity to go to a club that is suitable for development, or very good for financial, I will definitely think about it. I think that after such a good season, taking the next step will be very reasonable and it can be beneficial not only for me, but also for Wellington Phoenix. They can still make money for me because I have only one year of contract left.”
He added that there had been some initial interest from a European club not from Poland, and that he was open to the idea of leaving if the right situation came along but that he was happy in Wellington. Okay, that was about a fortnight ago. Now there’s rumours of SC Heerenveen targeting him to replace Sydney van Hooijdonk, the 23yo son of former Dutch international Pierre, whose loan from Bologna expires after the current season.
A couple of notes on this. First off it’s only speculation and most transfer yarns end up in nothing, although the lower down you go the more the hit rate does go up. Even the LC article claims that he’s not the only target and being under contract means there’s a fee to be paid if they do go for him. Also we know that Heerenveen pay close attention to the A-League because this is the club that signed Marco Rojas for his second stint in Europe.
We’ll see how it goes. Losing the team’s best player would be a blow however the financial reparations would be very tasty and also you kinda have to respect that Zawada has earned a move like that should it come to pass.
Going by Transfermarkt’s records, these are the instances of Welly Nix players being sold for fees...
Ben Waine to Plymouth Argyle for Undisclosed Fee
Liberato Cacace to Sint-Truiden for €1.20m
Sarpreet Singh to Bayern Munich for €650k
Jon McCain to Al-Nassr for €600k
Lols at the random Jon McCain sighting. That bloke was quality… and the Nix sold him to the same Saudi Arabian club that Cristiano Ronaldo now plays for. No reported figure on the Waine deal though they had earlier turned down a six-figure bid from the same club in the previous window so you can safely assume it was at least that much. €100k is what they paid for Reno Piscopo, the team’s only ever incoming paid transfer – signed in the wake of all the Cacace money coming in, although the exact figure on Libby’s move was disputed. Having said that, they’d have also gotten a bump when he was moved on from STVV to Empoli for up to €3milly.
There’s also been some transfer buzz around NZ goalkeeper Nik Tzanev, who has another year under contract with AFC Wimbledon in League Two but Championship club Blackburn Rovers are said to be hanging around. Rovers swapped starting keepers during the season with Aynsley Pears taking over and signing a long-term extension. That suggests they’re in the market for a backup.
A few months ago Tzanev lost a 90+ game consecutive league start so bench duty would be an annoying return to the earlier days of his career. Although on the flipside it’s a chance to jump two tiers of the English pyramid and join a team that only narrowly missed out on the playoffs for Premier League promotion.
Not sure Blackburn can maintain that pace into next season given that star striker Ben Brereton Díaz is leaving on a free for Villareal... but you never know, especially in such a volatile league as that one. Tzanev is only 26 years old so now would be a good time to test something like this. The reports suggest it’s pretty far advanced... which may help explain why Tzanev didn’t play the last couple games of the season.
Those European seasons are mostly wrapping up this week, if they haven’t done so already., but there are still a couple of massive Flying Kiwis storylines to follow. The Scottish Women’s Cup final probably won’t feature an injured Liv Chance for Celtic but Vic Esson’s a good chance to start for opponents Rangers. The WSL has its final fixtures and CJ Bott’s Leicester City are still one result away from safety as they face Rebekah Stott’s Brighton (the one result in their favour is probably going to be Reading losing to title favourites Chelsea but those games kickoff at the same time so Leicester will get two chances).
Matt Garbett and NAC Breda have a 1-0 lead after the home leg of their promotion playoff quarter-final. Should’ve won by a lot more so that small lead could prove fragile. Here’s hoping they get it done. There is a small chance of a Matt Dibley-Dias Premier League debut away against Manchester United. Jamie Searle won’t be involved for Barnsley but they’ve got the playoff final against Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley for a spot in the Championship. Marko Stamenic will return from suspension and with injuries in the midfield might get a go in FC Copenhagen’s penultimate game – win both matches and they’ll be Superliga champs again. Daisy Cleverley is in a similar spot with HB Køge in the women’s comp.
Also hoping to see Libby Cacace get minutes over the last two rounds of Serie A now that Empoli have officially avoided relegation (and with starting left back Fabiano Parisi almost sure to be leaving soon – it’d make sense to let Parisi say farewell in the home closer but away to Verona this week... surely that’s Libby territory?).
As for the impending transfer marketplace, that Parisi move is one to stay tuned for. Similar deal with Anna Leat at Aston Villa, with Leat having another year at the club but number one Hannah Hampton coming off contract on the back of a strong run of form which has kept Leat sidelined lately. If HH were to leave it’d clear the path for Leat. Both Ria Percival and Rebekah Stott also remain under contract for next term, though Brighton did just announce a few players who’ll be leaving after the season and that included a couple of experienced defenders/midfielders which should help Stotty’s case for bigger minutes.
Sarpreet Singh’s been dropped by Jahn Regensburg since they got a new coach so they deserve to be relegated. That dude has some terrible luck with loan deals so fingers crossed this offseason he’s able to get a proper permanent move to a Bundesliga club – a chance at Bayern is probably too much to ask considering all the managerial changes since he first joined.
Callum McCowatt is another whose form suggests he’s ready for a move. Tommy Smith is a free agent while it’s been two weeks since Grimsby Town said they were in discussions with Max Crocombe over a new deal and nothing’s happened since. We know there’s a chance that Marco Rojas gets that early release from Colo-Colo. Plus there are a few of the U20 fellas who could leverage that World Cup into pro moves and give it a couple months the Footy Ferns will be in the same spotlight (only brighter).
Speaking of Marco Rojas, he did something special the other day when he was subbed on for Colo-Colo in a Copa Libertadores game away against Monagas (Venezuela), on for the last twenty minutes as CC rallied from a goal down to bag a 1-1 draw to keep a realistic chance of qualifying for the knockouts alive. Though more important from this perspective is that it was Rojas’ debut in the South American Champions League equivalent, the first NZer ever to play in the tournament. As pointed out by the bro on Twitter, that makes Aotearoa the seventeenth nation to have had a player in all six confederation’s top tier club comps. Can’t embed tweets in Substack any more because of E*** M*** so here ya go...
European Champions League: Kim Wright, Wynton Rufer, Danny Hay, Chris Killen & Marko Stamenic
South American Copa Libertadores: Marco Rojas
African Champions League: Jeremy Brockie, Andre De Jong
North/Central American Champions League: Duncan Oughton, Jake Gleeson, Andrew Boyens, Dan Keat, Bill Tuiloma, Tommy Smith, Deklan Wynne
Asian Champions League: Kosta Barbarouses, Storm Roux, Michael McGlinchey, Jai Ingham, Dane Ingham, Marco Rojas, Shane Smeltz, Andrew Durante, Max Crocombe, Glen Moss, Matthew Ridenton, Joe Champness (and also Kwabena Appiah-Kubi if you count him)
Oceania Champions League: Heaps of jerries
Excluding the OCL, Rojas is the only bloke to have played in more than one as well. Sean Byrne and John Hill both played in the old European Cup for Irish and Northern Irish clubs respectively. Each later moved to NZ and became All Whites after gaining naturalised citizenship but had no kiwi ties when they played in the European Cup so it doesn’t feel like they should count. Appiah-Kubi is also a slippery one. Born in Auckland but raised in Australia since he was about six, with all his footy coming over there until he spent that spell with the Wellington Phoenix. He’s never played internationally so he’s never had to pick one or the other. You can make a case either way – a reminder that these nationality things can get kinda complicated.
We did an NBL segment on the podcast yesterday and one thing we spoke about was the kiwi guards at top teams, with Taylor Britt of the Canterbury Rams as the main man. Well, the Rams played the Taranaki Airs last night and Britt didn’t play. The timing of that one, aye? But it worked out beautifully because, in Britt’s absence, Kaia Isaac was boosted up to start while backup Quinn Clinton continued with his bench role and both had massive breakthrough performances.
Clinton is a Christchurch local, 24 years old and back from his college stint in the USA at St Mary’s. A couple of long term injuries hampered his progress over there but the bloke can shoot and the bloke can pass. He’s also pretty silky moving that ball up the court... basically he’s a Taylor Britt lookalike. He scored 15 points with 10 assists, shooting 4/6 from deep. Kaia Isaac is in his second year with the Rams, he was born in Sydney but is a dual-national (his Twitter claims NZ/Cook Isl nationality, sweet as) and he went even deeper with 19 points shooting 5/7 from threes.
Insane production, especially when that was all in service of strong games from imports Tevin Brown (18pts/10reb/6ast) and Troy Baxter Jr (26pts/11reb). Walter Brown did an excellent defensive task on Anthony Hilliard who shot just 1/10 from range for the Airs. His ninth attempt was the one that went in. Although if you think that sucks, take note that Hilliard’s lone triple was the only one made across his entire team. The Airs shot 1/19 overall whereas the Rams were a brisk 16/37 from deep. Good luck winning any game of basketball with that sorta differential from the perimeter. Needless to say, Rams took the dub 103-74.
Replacing Tai Wynyard is going to be tough for the Cantabs the rest of the way. I’m still suspecting they’ll bring in someone new, although for now they’ve picked up local Tom Webley. He only played ten mins here though. Thing is, with two of the bounciest imports in the league as well as Brown and Max Darling giving them size the rebounding might just take care of itself, at least against teams without an elite centre. Definitely something I’ll be keeping an eye upon – the Rams play again on the quick turnaround against the Wellington Saints on Saturday night.
Auckland City are safely through to the Oceania Champions League final but by gawd did they do it the hard way. Against Vanuatu home side Ifira Black Bird, they conceded first for the second time in three games (not including the default win of course) and same as in the opener against Solomon Warriors they were still 1-0 down at the half (banger strike from Kerry Iawak). That match saw an emphatic second stanza leading to a 3-1 win. It also saw the Warriors reduced to ten men after their goalie was sent off after 50 mins while it was still 1-0.
This time there was no quick turnaround, in fact they conceded a second time on the hour via a flicked header off a free kick and the home fans were absolutely loving it. There were almost 6000 folks in attendance in what’s only a small community stadium in Port Vila, and presumably that didn’t include the folks on neighbouring roofs...
But the task of shielding out the perennial confederation champs was too tough. Ryan De Vries pulled one back for City on 68’ (also a flicked header from a free kick) and then lots of fouls eventually culminated in a second yellow for Timothy Boulet. Black Bird remained on the brink of a famous upset until De Vries scored again late to send things into extra time. Like, we’re talking fifth minute of stoppage time here. It was a goalkeeping mistake too, allowing RDV to tap-in the loosie.
On into extra time and City continued in the ascendency but Black Bird did have a few half-decent counter attacks. Neither team could bust the net again although ACFC went bloody close a few times (there was one unreal acrobatic goal-line clearance, while Tong Zhao hit the crossbar with a rocket).
Penalties it was. City went first and continually buried their takes – Mike Den Heijer, Tong Zhou, Angus Kilkolly, Cam Howieson & Jordan Vale all doing the good mahi. Every time Black Bird responded under pressure until the last attempt which Conor Tracey excellently save with his feet and there ya go. Outrageous game of football.
Auckland City will face Suva in the final on Saturday at 3pm (a team they beat 3-1 in the group stage). Last year they scored 17 goals and conceded just once across their five goals. This time we’re three games in and they’ve already allowed four goals. Not normal ACFC areas. But they’re through to the final regardless, with a place in December’s last ever Club World Cup (under the current format, anyway – they’re probably going to bring it back as an expanded tournament held every four years with a group stage... if they can get the various domestic leagues to agree).