One Per Customer
One Per Customer
Kiwi Ferns at the World Cup, Chris Wood's penalties, Steven Adams' screen assists, WBBL antics, Men's NL Team of the Week & more
Kia ora and welcome to The Niche Cache. There are many ways to support our mahi. Patreon has an extra podcast each week. Word of mouth works great too. Engagement is fabulous and if you’re on our website, dwell on those ads. Love ya self.
Podcast
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Youtube
Reading Menu
2022 Rugby League World Cup: Aotearoa Kiwis vs Australia Semi-Final Preview (Rugby League)
2022/23 Kiwi-NRL Train and Trial Breakdown (Rugby League)
Football Ferns vs South Korea: Squad Yarns & Preview (Football)
2022 Women’s National League – Week 8 Review (Football)
2022 Men’s National League – Week 6 Review (Football)
Flying Kiwis – November 9 (Football)
The Memphis Grizzlies Extended Steven Adams' Contact, Now To Go Win Some Championships (Basketball)
Kiwi Steve in the NBA #1: Screeners (Basketball)
2022 Kiwi-WBBL: Further Amelia Kerr Development And Kiwis Thriving (Cricket)
Scotty’s Word
Kiwi Ferns lost to Australia 8-10 this morning in their last group stage game. Aotearoa will now play a Rugby League World Cup semi-final against England and their tournament flows along despite the loss. Australia won, but Kiwi Ferns were as good as the Aussies and this throws up encouraging vibes about wahine rugby league.
Raecene McGregor, Georgia Hale and Amber Hall are the best in the world for their positions. After her performance against Australia, a similar case can be made for Apii Nicholls and she has brushed aside her NRLW campaign with Titans to provide ample spark from fullback. Krystal Rota also deserves to be in this world-class bracket, giving Kiwi Ferns plenty of elite talent.
Australia picks their team from NRLW, Aotearoa had a bunch of players from grassroots footy. Mele Hufanga was dynamic at centre, Christyl Stowers looked comfy at this level as a smaller middle forward and Abigail Roache started at halfback in her Test debut ... against Australia!
This was the third halves combination deployed by coach Ricky Henry. Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly, Laishon Albert-Jones and Roache each took a turn to partner McGregor. Stephens-Daly started on the wing against Australia and was playing for Knights during their recent NRLW championship, but Albert-Jones and Roache started this year playing local footy in Auckland.
Karli Hansen can also play in the halves and she has been 18th wahine for the last two games. Aotearoa's rugby league depth is most evident in the play-makers; any random could play in the halves for Kiwis, now Shaun Johnson is surplus to the Kiwis stocks. Hansen, Albert-Jones and Roache are all really solid halves who could play a lot more footy for Aotearoa.
Along with Hall bullying edge defenders, Mya Hill-Moana was able to roll forward with ease and recruiting Brianna Clark to play for Aotearoa has been immense. Clark has made a Queensland squad and played for Australia Prime Minster's 13 but she opted for Aotearoa and she adds class to the Kiwis middles.
Madison Bartlett, Charlotte Scanlan, Shanice Parker and Crystal Tamarua didn't play against Australia. Tamaraua may struggle to crack the semi-final team while the other three are likely to return to a full strength line up - this wasn't the best Kiwi Ferns team.
Coach Henry may have had injuries etc dictating selection, or he wanted to expose some players to Test footy against Australia. Hufanga, Roache, Stowers and Otesa Pule are all younger squad members who played against Australia and helped produce an 8-10 scoreline. Kiwi Ferns head into semi-finals (Tuesday 8:30am) with the sting of this loss, plus a splash of confidence that they are just as good as Australia.
Amelia Kerr is simmering in WBBL08. Kerr and Brisbane Heat defeated Perth Scorchers featuring Sophie Devine and Maddy Green on Wednesday, taking Heat (7-3) to first on the WBBL ladder. Suzie Bates' Sixers (6-2) couldn't finish their game against Renegades. Next up is Hayley Jensen tonight with Hobart (vs Adelaide), then the full flow of weekend games.
Devine took 1w @ 9rpo, but couldn't manage any runs (2 runs) Green had a lovely 58 runs @ 109.43 and despite the 100+ strike-rate, Green only hit a four and a six. Kerr was dismissed by Aussie leggy Alana King for 9 runs and then took 2w @ 4rpo, taking Kerr to nine consecutive WBBL games with a wicket.
Kerr is already a WBBL champion after winning the 2019/20 tournament Brisbane Heat (alongside Green) and here's how the two campaigns compare...
2019/20: 41st - 107 runs @ 21.40avg/125.88sr | 18th - 14w @ 25.5avg/6.22rpo
2022/23: 19th - 173 runs @ 24.71avgg/119.31sr | 6th - 14w @ 18.5avg/6.47rpo
While here, let's compare Green's mahi as well...
2019/20: 18th - 309 runs @ 20.6avg/112.36sr
2022/23: 10th - 204 runs @ 34avg/107.36sr
If you see Brisbane Heat on the telly this weekend, tap in. Kerr is among the best all-rounders and she is usually one of the best fielders in any game as well. Jess Kerr is also returning to Heat as Indian seamer Pooja Vastrakar dips out of WBBL for international duty. This is fabulous as the Kerr sister takeover of Heat continues, plus Jess may help Heat win more games; Jess took a wicket in all three of her games, Vastrakar didn’t take a wicket in five of her seven games.
HBJ Shield cricket is approaching and here are the best players from last season...
Most Runs
Kate Ebrahim: 7inns, 451 runs @ 75.16avg/68.75sr, 5 x 50
Kate Anderson: 6inns, 306 runs @ 51avg/108.51sr, 4 x 50
Maddy Green: 4inns, 265 runs @ 132.5avg/98.14sr, 1 x 100, 2 x 50
Lauren Down: 4inns, 261 runs @ 65.25avg/78.14sr, 1 x 100, 2 x 50
Abby Gerken: 7inns, 249 runs @ 41.5avg/75.22sr, 1 x 100, 1 x 50
Most Wickets
Leigh Kasperek: 37.3ov, 20w @ 9.35avg/4.98rpo
Jess Kerr: 32ov, 18w @ 8.44avg/4.75rpo
Amelia Ker: 42ov, 17w @ 11.29avg/4.57rpo
Eden Carson: 46ov, 17w @ 15.82avg/5.84rpo
Emma Black: 46ov, 16w @ 19.5avg/6.78rpo
Blackcaps in Plunket Shield...
Tom Latham: 4inns, 361 runs @ 120.33avg, 2 x 100
Henry Nicholls: 4inns, 118 runs @ 29.5avg, 2 x 50
Matt Henry: 134.1ov, 23w @ 11.69avg/2rpo
Will Young: 5inns, 144 runs @ 28.8avg, 2 x 50
Ajaz Patel: 77ov, 8w @ 30.25avg/3.14rpo
Blair Tickner: 73ov, 11w @ 33.14avg/3.17rpo
Neil Wagner: 103.1ov, 7w @ 37.71avg/2.55rpo
Tom Blundell: 6inns, 273 runs @ 45.5avg, 1 x 100, 2 x 50
Rachin Ravindra: 6inns, 211 runs @ 35.16avg, 1 x 100 | 73ov, 7w @ 33.42avg/3.2rpo
Jacob Duffy: 115.1ov, 18w @ 19.88avg/3.1rpo
Best Youngsters in Plunket Shield...
Thorn Parkes (Otago): 5inns, 224 runs @ 44.8avg, 3 x 50
Mitch Hay (Canterbury): 4inns, 140 runs @ 35avg, 2 x 50
Kieran Clarke (Northern): 6inns, 125 runs @ 20.83avg, 1 x 50 |75.1ov, 6w @ 44.83avg/3.57rpo
Curtis Heaphy (Central): 2inns, 123 runs @ 61.5avg, 1 x 50.
Will O'Rourke (Canterbury): 91.1ov, 11w @ 22.27avg/2.68rpo
Matt Fisher (Northern): 38ov, 10w @ 15.6avg/4.1rpo
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
Newcastle United went to penalties against Crystal Palace in the League Cup yesterday and Chris Wood scored in the shootout. It’s not as much of a headline as the goal he scored against Southampton in the previous Premier League game but it’s still something. And something quite significant given that it kept a pretty bonkers streak going for the big man...
Yep, 25 penalties in a row converted. Seven of those in shootouts, 18 of them in-game. The last time he missed was 23 April 2016 in a Championship game for Leeds against Hull City. From memory he blasted it way over the top, pretty bang-average. But that was before he had his big breakthrough the following season with the same club... and from that point onwards he’s been undeniable from the spot.
This latest effort means that Sam Johnstone – who has three caps for England – joins an esteemed list of goalies to have failed to save a Chris Wood penalty. A list that includes Rui Patricio (Wolves), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Jose Sa (Wolves), Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham), Simone Tamanisau (Fiji), Chris Kirkland (Preston North End), Kosei Tani (Japan U23s), Tom Glover (Australia U23s), Beniamino Mateinaqara (Fiji), and former Phoenix keeper Tony Warner (Tranmere Rovers).
Steven Adams was back in the line-up yesterday after missing one game with a sore ankle. The game was an exciting overtime win over a plucky San Antonio Spurs side and Adams’ impact was immediately obvious as he absolutely bossed the boards. I wrote the bulk of the latest Kiwi Steve article before and during that game so the stats in there weren’t updated for that game. But now it’s more than 24 hours later and they have been so let’s look at a few things.
Adams played a season-high 37 minutes (cheers to the OT period). In that time he scored 7 points (3/4 shooting. That’s about season average. He also hauled in 19 rebounds though – which ties his season best... achieved just two games previous (three including the one he missed). Meaning that in his last three games he’s grabbed 48 total rebounds, with 26 of them at the offensive end. Chuck in a couple assists and there ya go.
Also had one block, meaning that he’s had a block in 9 of 11 games so far... seems to be that he’s challenging at the rim a bit more than usual, possibly to make up for the absence of shot-blocking fiend Jaren Jackson who’s still out injured. There were six turnovers, also a season high... though three of those were offensive fouls for his screens. And at least one or two of those were very debatable whistles.
Speaking of screens, the man had 12 screen assists leading to 28 points. That’s more than double his season average through his first ten games played. Massive numbers. Thus he’s surged up into the NBA lead once more…
It’s pretty astonishing how Steven Adams has like 4-5 things that he specialises in on a basketball court and he’s the best player in the entire NBA at basically all of them. Best offensive rebounder. Best screener. Best at box outs. Best at jump balls. Also best at turning up to games in breathable footwear, saying funny stuff in interviews, best employer of the word ‘mate’, and also best ability to put his team before his personal ambitions.
Men’s National League - Team of the Week #6
GK – Joseph Knowles (Miramar Rangers) – Bit of a weird one as he conceded three times and one was directly his fault for a giveaway... but it was also hard to find anyone who made a better array of saves. What tipped it over was that one of those saves was a penalty denial. Tough day at the office but Knowles has only just turned 18 and he’s an NZ age-grade rep for a reason.
RB – Justin Gulley (Wellington Olympic) – Wasn’t really sure where to go with a right back so how about a right-sided centre-back? Gulls did what he does as Wellington Olympic rolled to another with. Top of the table clash against Auckland United... no worries there, mate.
CB – Raheem Hunter (Melville United) – This dude can jump, man. Hunter wins so many headers that they might have to put a one-per-customer limit on him like with the flour bags during first lockdown. And with Melville serving up a superb effort to topple Birkenhead Hunter’s defensive prowess was on full display. He wasn’t the only one either.
CB – Alby Kelly-Heald (Wellington Phoenix) – He was playing alongside Finn Surman but it was AKH who most stood out in a very well organised defensive performance from the WeeNix against Auckland City (and not only coz he’s like six foot five or something). They did lose 2-0... but one goal was a rare error late in the first half, the second was one of the best goals you’ll ever see late in the second half. Otherwise gotta credit a whole lot of tidy defence against a very good team.
LB – Luke Searle (Melville United) – Told ya there’d be more Melville defenders. Almost picked Aaron Scott as well. Searle won the penalty by putting himself in the way of contact in the area and that was at the lower end of his bravery throughout. Birko have out-scrapped most teams this season but they couldn’t out-scrap Melville – particularly not that very large, very feisty, very courageous back three.
CM – Nati Hailemariam (Wellington Olympic) – The man disrupted everything. If there was a loose pass, Hailemariam claimed it. If there was a sloppy touch, sorry bro that’s Nati’s ball now. Not necessarily known for his CDM antics but maybe that oughta change. Passing goes alright too, just quietly. But we already knew that.
CM – Cameron Howieson (Auckland City) – I mean, did you see the goal he scored!?
CM – Matt Todd-Smith (Christchurch United) – MTS has been one of Chch Utd’s best throughout the season but in drawn or lost causes. Against Miramar they became the last team to finally get that first win and Todd-Smith was a big part of it, pressing from the midfield and also setting up the first goal with a delicious chip into the area.
FW – Kailan Gould (Wellington Olympic) – The Bulldog’s turn this week. From the very start of that game it looked like Auckland United didn’t have an answer to the tenacious dribbling of Kailan Gould. And that first impression was the right impression. They didn’t. Two goals and another solid Olympic victory.
FW – Garbhan Coughlan (Cashmere Tech) – Look, the Techies were 1-0 down with a red card midway through that first half against Napier. They went on to win 4-1 with Coughlan scoring a hatty and assisting the other goal. It was one of those “follow me, lads” types of individual performances. He was simply too good.
FW – William Pierce (Christchurch United) – Pretty impressed with how United went about things in that win over Miramar. Didn’t necessarily control heaps of ball but they bossed the game out of possession instead. Kept a sturdy shape but with the wingbacks pushing on and the midfield joining the press and they made it so tough for Rangers to play through them. Then their movement up front, exemplified by Pierce who scored the first goal and also later won a penalty, did the rest.