The Consensus Quartet
The Consensus Quartet
Wellington Phoenix Awards + Women's Academy, Blackcaps ODI sitch, Warriors NSW Cup & beyond, NRLW signings, Otago Nuggets, Footy Ferns in prep & more
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Kiwi-NRL Spotlight: Rising Rooster Naufahu Whyte (Rugby League)
Kiwi-NRL Spotlight: Another Kiwi-NRL Eel Blossoms (Wiremu Greig) (Rugby League)
Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Grinding Through Storm, Roosters, Panthers (Rugby League)
Rejoice For The Wellington Phoenix Blokes Have Scraped Their Way Into The Finals (Football)
Flying Kiwis – May 3 (Football)
Previewing The Wellington Phoenix’s Elimination Final vs Adelaide United (Football)
Aotearoa at the 2023 Men’s U20 World Cup: Squad Yarns & Preview (Football)
10 Of The Best Emerging Wahine Cricketers In Aotearoa After The 2022/23 Season (Cricket)
27fm Album Jukebox - April 2023 (Music)
Scotty’s Word
Blackcaps are down 0-3 to Pakistan in their ODI series, already losing the series with two games to play. I’m not too fussed. We are a few months removed from a 1st 11 Blackcaps team beating Pakistan in their home conditions.
Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway were the only Blackcaps to register a 50+ score in the series earlier this year. Mitchell Santner was fourth for runs behind those three. None of these lads are playing now.
The best bowlers in the series win were Tim Southee, Michael Bracewell, Ish Sodhi and Lockie Ferguson. Sodhi is the only bloke playing in the current series.
Of the eight batters to score 50+ runs earlier this year Williamson (best batter), Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham were the only blokes scoring below 90sr. Mitchell and Latham are now the main batters.
Mitchell Santner took 1 wicket in the series win, conceding just 4.7rpo. Bracewell's 4w cost 3.9rpo - meaning the two most economical bowlers from that series are not playing right now. Sodhi is conceding 6.2rpo in the current series after operating at 4.8rpo when bowling alongside Santner and Bracewell in the series win.
No Blackcaps bowler conceded more than 6rpo in the series win vs Pakistan with Phillips conceding exactly 6rpo from 8 overs. Blackcaps now have four bowlers over 6rpo and Cole McConchie is the only lad below 5rpo (4.6rpo).
The best players aren't playing and that's why Blackcaps are losing. No dramas, just simple sporting math. Keep in mind that Blackcaps have a proven record of being good at cricket and they have earned my faith. In ODI cricket, Blackcaps have made consecutive World Cup finals and four consecutive semi-finals. Blackcaps finished the ODI Super League 1st.
World Cup squads usually feature 15 lads. I've got 11 locked in which doesn't include Williamson. Latham, Mitchell, Henry and Sodhi are four lads currently playing vs Pakistan. There are seven lads not playing right now: Finn Allen, Conway, Phillips, Santner, Bracewell, Southee, Ferguson.
That leaves four spots up for grabs. Most of the lads currently playing vs Pakistan will not be in the World Cup squad. Will Young (49avg in ODIs) will probably bolster the top-order and Tom Blundell is building a case as a wicket-keeper in the squad. Jimmy Neesham has Blackcaps mana and I've got him battling with Henry Nicholls for a World Cup squad spot.
The bowling spot will probably go to Adam Milne. Three spinners are already in the squad, with Southee, Henry and Ferguson offering their seam. This could be complicated by possible returns of Trent Boult and/or Kyle Jamieson, both of whom could command selection ahead of bowlers and batters. Here's how the World Cup rotation could look assuming no Williamson, Boult or Jamieson...
Allen, Conway, Mitchell, Latham, Phillips, Bracewell, Santner, Sodhi, Southee, Henry, Ferguson.
Young, Blundell, Milne, Neesham
This frames Mark Chapman's performances as well. Even if Chapman was scoring a few ODI runs vs Pakistan, he would be battling with Nicholls and Neesham for fringe squad roles. Remember that Chapman averaged 10.2 in Super Smash and 13.8 in Ford Trophy, now averaging 9.6 in ODIs vs Pakistan. We'll wait and see if the T20I stuff vs Pakistan is the norm or an outlier.
There is growing buzz about Kiwi-NRL debuts for Waikato rugby's Valynce Te Whare and Northcote junior Keano Kini. Te Whare could start at centre for Dolphins and Kini might crack the Titans bench this weekend. Here's some stats of their Queensland Cup mahi...
Te Whare's two seasons with Dolphins...
2022: 14 games, 12 tries, 12.14 touches/game, 1.2 linebreaks/game, 85.89% tackling, 147m/game
2023: 6 games, 4 tries, 11 touches/game, 1.1 linebreaks/game, 81.9% tackling, 124m/game
Kini's first season of reserve grade playing fullback for Burleigh...
6 games, 5 wins, 1 try, 6 try assists, 4 linebreaks, 22 tackle busts, 8 offloads, 181m/game.
Here are some stats for young NZ Warriors forwards in NSW Cup. More is better for both stats...
Demitric Sifakula: 19.22 tackles per miss| 89m per game
Kalani Going: 11.94 | 108m
Leka Halasima 11.1 | 91m
Isaiah Vagana 10.4 | 76m
Zyon Maiu'u 9.8 | 113m
Nicholas Halalilo: 8.7 | 103m
Sifakula is now playing NRL, Going is getting extended bench selection. Maiu'u is the next youngster who is likely to be promoted this season and Halasima is doing that while still at Southern Cross Campus. I don't say this lightly: Halasima may be one of the best players in NSW Cup as a 17-year-old.
William Piliu has been added to NZ Warriors SG Ball players now in Fox Memorial/Sharman Cup. Piliu is named at fullback for Mt Albert and this means that along with Sefanaia Cowley-Lupo and Phranklyn Mano-Le-Mamea, the three main SG Ball play-makers are now playing against men. Tanner Stowers-Smith has jumped up to NSW Cup as well.
Pt Chev: Etuate Fukofuka, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Harry Durbin, Presley Seumanu
Mt Albert: William Piliu
Bay Roskill: Sefanaia Cowley-Lupo
Otahuhu: Ben Peni, Makaia Tafua
Otara: Kayliss Fatialofa, Eddie Ieremia, Phranklyn Mano-Le-Mamea
Howick: Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea
Another wave of NRLWahine signings came through with Mya Hill-Moana staying with Roosters. Roosters also signed Teuila Fotu-Moala, Alexandrea Kiriwi and Tyler Bentley. This gives Roosters a crazy trio of Aotearoa forwards with Hill-Moana and Fotu-Moala joined by Amber Hall.
Bentley is another funky NRLWahine recruit, joining Roosters from Wellington rugby. NRLW expansion is snapping up lots of rugby union talent in Aotearoa and it is fantastic. Gayle Broughton and Niall Williams have moved from Sevens to NRLW, while Mele Hufanga played Super Rugby and Farah Palmer Cup before being a star of the Rugby League World Cup.
I've already laid out how Dragons recruited Cortez Te Pou (Hawke's Bay) and Alexis Tauaneai (Wellington). Now Roosters have signed Bentley who was playing for Wellington in Farah Palmer Cup and Petone last year. Bentley looks tremendous...
All of this is happening emerging infrastructure around women's rugby league in Aotearoa. That's quickly changing at a local level as well as NRLW expansion delivering more professional opportunities for talented wahine. NZ Warriors will return to NRLW which will require another 25 wahine and NZRL recently announced an Ahi ka Aotearoa Under 19 team will compete in Australia's National Women's Championship later this month. More tournaments, more development camps, more NRLW opportunities. I'll let you come to your own conclusions about how this impacts women's rugby union in NZ.
NRLW signings tracker
Broncos: Gayle Broughton, Mele Hufanga, Brianna Clark, Annetta Nu'uausala
Raiders: Madison Bartlett, Apii Nicholls, Mackenzie Wiki, Kerehitina Matua
Sharks: Kiana Takairangi
Titans: Niall Williams, Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell
Dragons: Raecene McGregor, Page McGregor, Cortez Te Pou, Alexis Tauaneai, Roxy Murdoch-Masila
Roosters: Amber Hall, Mya Hill-Moana, Teuila Fotu-Moala, Alexandrea Kiriwi, Tyler Bentley
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
The Wellington Phoenix had their club awards night during the week and the big winners, to the shock and horror of absolutely nobody, were Oskar Zawada and Michaela Foster.
The Nix give out more awards at their prizegiving than the bloody Oscars (the Oskars?) yet Zawada and Foster managed to make a clean sweep of the four separate Player of the Year gongs. Members, Media, Players, and Club. Interesting that there was such a consensus between all of them – internal and external opinions colliding.
For the blokes, less so. Oskar Zawada was quite clearly the main man. He’s the only guy who’s shown a level of consistency for pretty much the whole season and he’s miles out in front as the top scorer in a team that can’t otherwise hit water if they fell out of a boat so fair enough. Everybody can see that. Shout out to Zawada for the bangers and fingers crossed there’s time for another couple this evening against Adelaide in the finals (full preview of that game over here).
For the ladies there were more contenders. The wooden spoon reality means that there weren’t necessarily any standouts driving results the way that Zawada did so everyone’s on a closer level. Foster was the clear favourite, her journey as a scholarship player coming in and ending up starting every single game, leading the team in total minutes, was wild. Foz’s set piece deliveries made her the team’s most potent creative outlet and she was very good in her defensive mahi as well. Worked her way into the Footy Ferns and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if she gets games at the World Cup.
But despite the consensus quartet around those awards, the gap to second place will have been close. Or, should’ve been close. Mackenzie Barry had a superb second season at this level, playing both at centre-back and right back. One of the best tacklers in the league and another pushing for a World Cup berth. Super consistent and would’ve been a deserving winner.
Betsy Hassett’s experience and technical quality was crucial for this team in their best performances and moving her to the ten role really unlocked their attacking potential (after a woeful first first eight games in which they only scored twice). The WahiNix scored a total of zero goals in the 278 minutes that Hassett was off the pitch this past season. Probably just needed some more reliable weaponry around her to unlock her best footy but another not to be underestimated.
Also Marisa van der Meer. Usually the target for those Foster set pieces and usually the one to win the defensive headers too. So important with her aerial game that she ended up moving from fullback to centre-back and doing equally as good a job there. Three goals to her name. She should be next in line for a national team debut... although it’ll have to wait until the next World Cup cycle.
And I was also on record in my season round-up touting Grace Wisnewski as a worthy POTY. Not arguing with Fozzy by any means but the return of The Wiz after missing the initial four games with an injury immediately sealed up their midfield and eventually allowed for Hassett to push further forward. Wisnewski was the only player in the team with multiple goals and assists (2 goals/3 assists) and she did that from midfield whilst also clattering folks and covering more turf than most grounds can contain.
Elsewhere peep at Milly Clegg and Callan Elliot getting U23s player awards. Elliot was the clear choice for the HeNix assuming that he was eligible – given how he did turn 23 before the season started. Must apparently be 23-and-under not under-23. ‘Twas a breakthrough season for CE at right back, setting up goals and scrapping away in defence and earning an All Whites debut for his effors. If it couldn’t be him then we’re probably looking at Lucas Mauragis.
As for Clegg... even as one of her biggest fans I’m not convinced about that one. Clegg was the team’s top scorer but that was only with four goals. She took half a season to really dig into her dinner and wasn’t always a guaranteed starter even afterwards. What she achieved a 17 years of age is nuts... but for an U23 nod in a team where 15/22 players were eligible for this award it feels like more than a stretch. It feels like a lunge.
Personally, I’d have gone with this order:
Grace Wisnewski
Mackenzie Barry
Marisa van der Meer
Milly Clegg
Brianna Edwards
Kate Taylor
But it’s all good, no dramas. Club awards nights don’t have to be perfectly accurate. The U23 awards were voted for by members and obviously Clegg has had plenty of hype around her emergence on the scene over the last 12 months.
The other awards of note were the Academy POTY efforts which went to Noah Karunaratne and Olivia Ingham. Karunaratne a wide playmaker in the Ben Old mould (although he plays from the left), all the way down to the silky dribbling and the insane amount of fouls he draws. NK is off to the U20 World Cup soon and whispers are he could have something in the works overseas afterwards.
Ingham is also a wide forward, speedy with an eye for goal. She was a teammate of Clegg’s at the U17 World Cup last year – along with a few others from the academy. Only two of that squad were affiliated with the Nix Academy at the time but several more have joined since they got the full winter programme going (culminating in guaranteed National League entry). But Ingham’s one of the OGs.
Here’s the full list of player awards…
Speaking of that women’s side to the Wellington Phoenix Academy, now that the seasons have begun we can actually see line-ups and results and things for those teams. The Women’s Reserves (which will be the National League team) are competing in the U17 Boys Capital Development League. Not doing too flash there as they’ve lost both games and are yet to score a goal though that’s to be expected as they get things underway. Keep in mind most of that team aren’t much older than the boys they’re playing against.
That’s also true of the Women’s U17 team who are playing in the equivalent U15 Boys league. Also lost both games though they’ve at least scored a goal in each of those. Both those leagues also have Phoenix Boys academy teams in them. There’s also an U15s team playing in the Boy’s U13 division. You can see fixtures and results for all of them on this page.
WahiNix Reserves Players Used Through The First Two Matches...
Aimee Feinberg-Danieli, Rebekah Trewhitt, Marie Green, Nina Kondo, Macey Fraser, Ella McCann, Tui Dugan, Manaia Elliott, Ella McMillan, Grace Bartlett, Lara Smith, Daisy Brazendale, Georgie Furnell, Emily Humphrey, Charlotte Eagle, Alyssha Egglington, Libby McMillan, Mackenzie Greene, Angie Pivac, Phoebe Hawes
Most of the other A-League clubs gave out their season awards recently too and a couple notables from out Aotearoa perspective include:
Brian Kaltak winning Coach’s POTY for Central Coast, the Vanuatu international with a long history of NZ National League excellence prior to this long overdue professional breakout. Pity about all the red cards but other than that he’s been an absolute rock, with a great backstory, and yet another example that picking blokes out of the NZ domestic scene isn’t as risky as some would think.
Katie Bowen won Coach’s POTY for Melbourne City in a fine reflection of a hugely reliable season in which she played in both defence and midfield and hardly missed a minute the whole way. KB completed the most passes across the entire ALW. 1082 passes at 82% accuracy, a number that itself was top-five excluding goalkeepers, and they weren’t merely sideways efforts either as she ranked third for total progressive pass distance behind a pair of goalkeepers.
Dane Ingham won the ‘Nigel Boogaard A-League Men’s Player of the Season’ for Newcastle Jets which, honestly, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for an attacking fullback (who actually played higher up the pitch later in the season) who had 0 goals and 1 assist for a team that wasn’t very good defensively either. Fourth most minutes played for the team. Plenty of hard tackling. But hey it’s better than some random Aussie fella winning it. Ingham has found a home with Newcastle and he followed this award up by promptly announcing a two-year contract extension.
Meanwhile Perth and Sydney haven’t had their prizegivings yet. Liz Anton has won the Glory’s top player award in the past so maybe she’ll be in contention again. Reckon Grace Jale was robbed to have gone home empty handed from Canberra’s one too.
On the latest podcast we discussed the state of the Otago Nuggets in the NBL. Defending champs and the last remaining undefeated team in 2023 but perhaps their schedule had been a little too convenient to accurately reflect where they are, one way or another? They’d beaten Manawatu, Southland, Taranaki, and Nelson. Three of the current bottom four teams. Three of those games were also at home.
Well, mate, they went up to Auckland last night and beat the Tuatara 93-89 so yeah this team might just be legit in their title defence. Withstood a 32-point first frame from the ‘Tara then rallied home with a strong fourth quarter. Three of their starters scored 20+, those being their three imports. Todd Withers had 22 points off 8/16 shooting with six triples. JaQuori McLaughlin had 20 points of 6/16 shooting with 9 assists. Michael Harris had 21 points off 7/21 shooting. Withers and McLaughlin are American, Harris is an Aussie who gets solid NBL minutes with the Perth Wildcats as a development player (he’s 23yo). Clever scouting from the Nuggies – Harris missed a few shots along the way but hit a clutch triple near the end to help secure the dub.
This was despite former Breakers guard Jarrad Weeks scoring 35 points for the Aucklanders. There was also a good battle down low between Breakers big men Rob Loe and Sam Timmins – note that both are currently free agents. Loe won’t have to worry about that, it’s only whether he returns to the Breakers or goes elsewhere, though Timmins is definitely auditioning for the scouts. Also heard some rumours swirling around that Tai Webster might pop by the Nuggets for some action and if they were already contenders without him then just imagine them with TW running the point. Should that come to pass, of course. Shan’t get ahead of ourselves.
Remember the bro Wally Brown? Had actually had a stinker for the Rams in their last game only scoring one point from 0/5 in 21 minutes in a win over Southland (note that Brown has been marginalised in the two games where Tai Wynyard has gone massive – TW had 28p/12r in that game). They play again tonight in a potential barnstormer against the revamped Wellington Saints.
But Walter Brown still had a massive week because while he was already under contract for next season with Tasmania JackJumpers, the second of his two-year development player deal, the club have renegotiated that into a fresh three year contract with the third of those being as a fully rostered player (probably via a club option).
They did say in the press release that he’d been highly sought after in free agency. Not sure if that means there was an opt-out on the second year of his initial deal or maybe other teams were keep to buy him or maybe that’s just press release talk. Doesn’t matter because the outcome is a deal that could keep him in Tassie until the 2025-26 season.
Back on the footy and there was a draw yesterday for the inaugural Oceania Women’s Champions League which will feature Eastern Suburbs as the NZ representatives. To be hosted in Papua New Guinea in June. Six teams split into two groups with each side playing the other two in their group before the finals which will be simple 1v1, 2v2 & 3v3 match-ups based on the table.
Eastern Suburbs have drawn Hekari United (PNG) and Koloale (Solomon Isl) in their group. The other group features Labasa (Fiji), As Academy (New Caledonia), and Kiwi FC (Samoa). There’s no Women’s Club World Cup on the line, this tournament is for its own rewards only, though that is something that FIFA have proposed several times in the past and you’d imagine it happens some day in the future.
Finally, the Football Ferns are now into camp ahead of the World Cup squad being named. Last chance for fringe players to force their way into the final selection. Some players won’t be able to get there until late due to club commitments. Others are already there and pressing their cases. Here’s the overall squad of players still in World Cup contention...
Ali Riley, Ally Green, Alyssa Whinham, Aniela Jensen, Anna Leat, Annalie Longo, Ashleigh Ward, Ava Collins, Betsy Hassett, Brianna Edwards, CJ Bott, Claudia Bunge, Daisy Cleverley, Deven Jackson, Emma Rolston, Erin Nayler, Gabi Rennie, Grace Jale, Grace Neville, Grace Wisnewski, Hannah Blake, Hannah Wilkinson, Indiah-Paige Riley, Jacqui Hand, Katie Bowen, Lily Alfeld, Liz Anton, Mackenzie Barry, Maggie Jenkins, Malia Steinmetz, Meikayla Moore, Michaela Foster, Milly Clegg, Murphy Sheaff, Olivia Chance, Paige Satchell, Rebekah Stott, Ria Percival, Vic Esson
39 players listed there. Note that Katie Rood was going to join them before she did her ACL recently so we’ve effectively got a top 40.
That includes Annalie Longo who is getting close to a return and will link up with this camp in a couple more weeks. Fitness will be an issue after such a long time out but she’s giving it a good crack. Betsy Hassett is currently recovering from two broken ribs in the last Ferns game. Lily Alfeld is listed after missing the entire ALW season. Also Liv Chance and Meikayla Moore are dealing with existing injuries which Jitka Klimková expecting them to be fine by the World Cup.
There’d been zero info about Moore’s lack of footy over the last two months until JK’s latest press updates so glad to know finally know she’s dealing with a back injury as opposed to having left the planet or something. Liv Chance had been waiting scan results on her knee after the last Ferns tour. Not heard anything fresh on that but if it were an ACL tear or something equally as serious they’d have known by now. As long as it’s not whatever Steven Adams has because come to think of it those two instances were very similar. Granted, Adams landed on hardwood while Chance landed on grass.
There have also been some dramas from European clubs about when players should be released which may affect a few of our top options while a couple others are in leagues that play all the way through until the international window opens.
Some others might claim to be unlucky not to be included here but gotta remember the focus is not on this group it’s on the 23 players who’ll be going to the World Cup. Doesn’t matter who should be in the top 40. It matters who has a chance of making that 23. There’s your longlist. Take your pick.