The Groundwork
Warriors & NRL Finals, Wellington Phoenix signings, Auckland FC women, NZ-A cricket in South Africa, U20 World Cup footy squad, and plenty more
Scotty’s Word
New Zealand Warriors lost their NRL finals game vs Panthers and their NSW Cup finals game vs Dragons. The NSW Cup finals loss stings more because they were the best team all season while the NRL team stumbled into finals and their early exit had been forecasted. However, there are so many different factors (like NRL players dropping down to reserve grade after their season has finished) that impact NSW Cup finals so I'm not too bummed.
There are two clear themes for the NRL Warriors starting with the undeniable fact that they stunk at Mt Smart in front of big crowds...
vs Raiders: 26,512 - loss
vs Eels: 25,012 - loss
vs Panthers: 25,012 - loss
Finals vs Panthers: 24,524 - loss
vs Titans: 24,212 - loss
Panthers won both games at Mt Smart this season and the other theme is how dominant Panthers have been vs NZW. Here are the results during the two Andys era...
6-16 loss
6-32 loss
22-20 win
18-28 loss
8-24 loss
Panthers scored 20+ points in all five games and NZW hit that mark just once. Keep in mind that the only win for NZW in this period featured a second-tier team and somehow they rolled out the best performance of this match-up.
Thankfully, the Warriors women had a fabulous 44-6 win vs Tigers. Unfortunately they won't play finals footy and, like the men's team, the wahine were better in Australia (3-3) than they were in Aotearoa (1-4). But everyone churned out big stats in the best performance of their season. Three quick wrinkles...
Payton Takimoana scored 15 tries in 11 games. She scored 11 tries as a winger and then she started the last three games at centre where she scored four tries. Along with Tyra Wetere, the two young outside backs from Bay of Plenty blossomed through their first season of NRLW and have plenty of potential, perhaps earning Kiwi Ferns squad selection this year.
The win vs Tigers came without the best halves combo of Emily Curtain and Patricia Maliepo. Emmanita Paki moved into the halves when Curtain suffered a season ending injury a few weeks ago and, with Maliepo out injured for the last game of the season, Lydia Turua-Quedley joined Paki in the halves.
Ivana Lauitiiti is awesome ... Leka Halasima levels of awesome. She only had six missed tackles in her six games and tackled at 92%, along with at least three tackle breaks in every game she played. Lauitiiti averaged 5.8 tackle breaks per game as a 19-year-old and went from less than 30mins in her first three games to 30+ minutes in her last three games.
There are lots more NZ Warriors details and Aotearoa rugby league things for paid subscribers and the Patreon whanau. They include Wayde Egan's diminished mahi, Jackson Ford's penalties, Will Warbrick's return to NRL, Tenika Willison in NRLW and Te Hurnui Twidle featuring for Eels in NSW Cup finals.
Georgia Hale's Titans are in NRLW finals and Hale continues to add running oomph to her legendary tackling mahi. Here are some per game stats in her NRLW seasons with Titans...
2021: 56m | 19.2 post contact metres | 95.1% tackling
2022: 61m | 21.8 pcm | 96.9% tackling
2023: 106m | 35.1 pcm | 98.8% tackling
2024: 100m | 37.2 pcm | 96.9% tackling
2025: 112m | 42.4 pcm | 97.5% tackling
Jordan Riki played all 94 minutes for Broncos in their golden point win vs Raiders. That led to lots of mahi with 17 runs - 166m @ 9.7m/run and 47 tackles @ 90.3% which sums up his best season of NRL footy nicely. Riki scored seven tries in 2023 but his six linebreaks this season are a career high and he has climbed up the NZ Kiwis ladder this season - I've got him overtaking Marata Niukore to join Isaiah Papali'i and Briton Nikora as the top notch edge forwards.
Isaiah Papali'i went crazy in 39 minutes vs Warriors...
1 try, 19 runs - 182m @ 9.5m/run, 2 tackle breaks, 1 offload, 20 tackles @ 80%
No forward had more runs or run metres than Papali'i from either team. Erin Clark was the only other starting forward who had less than 40mins and he had 14 runs - 116m @ 7.7m/run in 37mins.
NZ-A started their second First-Class game vs South Africa A with 282/6 on day one...
Curtis Heaphy: 108*
Mitch Hay: 56
Muhammad Abbas: 40
Heaphy has scored 30+ runs in seven consecutive innings. He finished the NZ-A tour of Bangladesh with 71 runs (FC) then had a 50* for Central Districts in the Global Super League, followed by scores of 35 and 30* in the one-day series vs SA-A. Then he hit 32 and 36 runs in to start the FC series.
Curtis Heaphy - 22yrs
FC: 37.1avg/38sr
LA: 50.5avg/68sr
T20: 30.9avg/123sr
Beyond the wall for paid subscribers and the Patreon whanau I have more NZ-A nuggets, plus some ODI stats for Hannah Rowe, Lauren Down, Fran Jonas and Molly Penfold - who didn't make the White Ferns ODI World Cup squad.
Will Young’s FC winters in England...
2021: 40.8avg, 2 x 100, 1 x 50
2022: 33.5avg, 1 x 100, 5 x 50
2023: 59.8avg, 1 x 100, 1 x 50
2024: 41.8avg, 1 x 100, 1 x 50
2025: 103avg, 1 x 50
Musical jam…
Nick’s Notebook
Macey Fraser has returned to the Wellington Phoenix after finally escaping the shackles of her Utah Royals situation. Fraser did some media after signing a three-year contract and was careful in wanting to focus on the future rather than the past, which is very mature of her. But she did mention how the coaching change shook everything up for her, with the new gaffer inexplicably viewing her as a winger. I’ve written enough about that in previous emails and in Flying Kiwis, it was a stink situation for Fraser and she deserves credit for staying professional throughout, especially after the coach iced her out completely over the last few months.
And so it’s back to the Nix where the familiar scenery and a more understanding club/coach/competition should allow her to get back to best via regular footy. She mentioned that she feels like she has unfinished business at the club - her only season in the ALW squad saw them go closer than ever to making the finals. They’re surely going to make it now with the quality of signings they’ve made since Bev Priestman arrived, not to mention the belief and legitimacy that hiring a coach of that pedigree seems to have inspired. Preseason began last week.
The funny thing about this is that Fraser signed a three-year contract with the Nix back in August 2023, then shipped off to Utah for an A-League record incoming transfer fee, and now has returned to the Phoenix to sign a new three-year contract before her original contract would have even ended. Don’t bank on her sticking around for the full term this time either, though. The length of that deal probably hints that they reckon they can gather another fee for her down the line. The only other player contracted beyond the 2026-27 season is Pia Vlok.
Fraser’s signing follows the return of Marisa van der Meer one week earlier, marking MVDM’s return to professional football after consecutive ACL tears. She’d been back playing for Western Springs for the last couple of months. That only leaves one spot remaining to be filled and that’ll belong to their final import. Not sure what position they’ll target but it surely won’t be a defender with plenty of those around already. Probably a midfielder or a winger, depending on whether of not Grace Jale is still seen as a midfielder (where she finished last season when we know Priestman was already hanging around and attending games).
On the flipside, Coach Bev has reiterated that Annalie Longo is retired and won’t be back even though they did share a conversation or two about the topic just in case. Rebecca Lake wasn’t able to be re-signed since the squad is now basically full. She’s instead flown to Canada where she debuted for Vancouver Rise over the weekend - that’s in the same league that Milly Clegg, Meikayla Moore, and Ally Green are currently employed. And the other bit of news is that Tiana Jaber has fractured her leg and is still in a moon boot. Won’t be back for the start of the season. Not sure when exactly that happened but she did go off injured playing for Lebanon in a 1-0 win against Singapore in mid-July (a couple days before the Nix announced her two-year contract extension). That’d mean she’s two months into her recovery.
Wellington Phoenix 2025-26 ALW Squad
GK – Vic Esson (Aimee Danieli, Brooke Neary)
RB – CJ Bott (Lucia Leon)
CB – Ellie Walker (Tiana Jaber)
CB – Mackenzie Barry (Marisa van der Meer)
LB – Lara Wall (Manaia Elliott)
CM – Tessel Middag (Daisy Brazendale)
CM – Macey Fraser (Ella McMillan)
CM – Alyssa Whinham (Ela Jerez)
RW – Lucia Leon (Manaia Elliott, Pia Vlok)
LW – Grace Jale (Olivia Ingham)
CF – Sabitra Bhandari (Emma Main, Ella McCann)
In other news, Kelli Brown was announced as a Newcastle Jets player last week. That eases the worries after it became clear she wasn’t going to return to Perth Glory despite scoring five goals there playing for a coach who’d also gotten huge production out of her at the NPL level with Macarthur Rams. Turns out she’d simply gotten a better offer from closer to home – she’ll now be a two hour flight from NZ instead of six hour flight. Plus this means that NZ domestic hero Stephen Hoyle (the incoming coach of Newcastle) has replaced the spot vacated by Deven Jackson’s move to Melbourne City by adding another kiwi. With Claudia Jenkins also re-signing for Adelaide United in recent days, we’re up to six confirmed NZers with Aussie ALW squads for the upcoming campaign:
Rebekah Stott & Deven Jackson - Melbourne City
Anna Leat & Kelli Brown - Newcastle Jets
Claudia Bunge - Melbourne Victory
Claudia Jenkins - Adelaide United
There’s also Ruby Nathan who is the only off-contract player from last season yet to have her next destination made public. Could yet see her return to Canberra United for a third year.
In other other news, the Wellington Phoenix men have announced the signing of kiwi left-back Dan Edwards on a one-year deal. The 27yo has been playing over in Australia for several years at state level, most recently for Avondale FC as they won the NPL Victoria premiership before being knocked out in the semis. Avondale also made the Australia Cup semi-finals albeit without having to face an A-League side until they got there, going down 4-2 against Newcastle Jets.
Edwards was a Birkenhead youngster for a bit and played some senior football for Eastern Suburbs after covid cut short his time at Marshall University in the USA. He’ll offer depth at left wing-back for the Phoenix, making for an awesome story – finally getting his start in professional football at 27 years of age.
Wellington Phoenix 2025-26 ALM Squad
GK: Josh Oluwayemi (Imp), Alby Kelly-Heald, Eamonn McCarron (Yth)
CB: Manjrekar James (Imp), Isaac Hughes, Matt Sheridan, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Corban Piper, Jayden Smith (Schol)
WB: Tim Payne, Carlo Armiento, Dan Edwards, Xuan Loke (Schol)
CM: Alex Rufer, Paolo Retre, Kazuki Nagasawa (Imp), Fin Roa Conchie
FWD: Ifeanyi Eze (Imp), Hideki Ishige (Imp), Nikola Mileusnic, Luke Brooke-Smith (Schol), Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues (Schol), Nathan Walker (Schol), Luke Supyk
With additional academy players to fill in any gaps. I do have a sneaking suspicion that Payne and Piper will be used the other way around though (i.e. Payne CB and Piper RWB). Expect a 3-4-3 formation. That might be it for their squad additions so we can look forward to a month of everyone panicking that they haven’t done enough, even though there’s no way to tell until the season gets underway (and we all know the Aussie Cup is not a good indicator for various reasons). Time will tell.
They may have had their plans for an A-League Women’s team put on hold by the stingy competition bosses, but Auckland FC have been putting in the groundwork for their female footy side. Their Women’s Talent Development Centre is up and running as of this month. They had their first talent ID camps back in April. The plan seems to be the same as the men’s programme where players remain with their existing clubs (presumably until they get a Reserves team going at some stage) with extra training sessions, as well as professional support and resources, offered through the AFC Development Centre.
This is different to how the Wellington Phoenix do it with youth teams beginning at U14s and “Pre-Academy Centres” also held for 9-13 year olds. Both angles have their positives and negatives, don’t need to debate it here other than pointing out the different approaches to developing Aotearoa’s best emerging footballers (both with heavy assistance from NZ Football). Those two approaches shared a nice occasion over the weekend as Auckland FC hosted Wellington Phoenix for a pair of Women’s U17s fixtures - the first women’s games ever played by AFC.
The first game was won 5-3 by AFC with goals scored by Taylor Vujnovich (3), Miya Stott, and Millie Boyle. The second game ended 4-3 to the WeeNix (sounds like that one ended slightly early due to a bad injury, so hopefully all is good there). Tarena Ranui coached the AFC squad – she’s the mother of AFC Men’s Reserves fullback Carlos Ranui and, more importantly, a highly-regarded coach currently with Melville United (who just got promoted to the NRFL Premiership with a very young squad) having also done some assistant work with NZ age grade sides.
(Photo via AFC Reserves on Instagram)
Not sure about any details from the Phoenix perspective since these were friendly games with no confirmed match facts to be found. But AFC did at least announce their line-ups (well, they gave us some last names so the rest is guesswork - if there are any mistakes then blame AFC’s scattershot social media approach, not me). Let’s take a peek at their squad…
Bonnie Rice – Auckland United (2025 Oceania U16s)
Charlize Kerr – Fencibles United
Eden Chaytor – Fencibles United (2025 Oceania U16s)
Elin Gainsford (GK) – Melville United
Grace Duncan – Tauranga Moana (2024 Oceania U16s)
Grace Eng – Fencibles United
Isla Robson – Auckland United (2025 Oceania U16s)
Ivy Calonne – West Coast Rangers
Lane Ririnui – Tauranga Moana
Laura Bennett – Melville United (2024 U17 World Cup, 2023 Oceania U16s, 2024 Oceania U16s)
Lexi Hedington – Auckland United (2025 Oceania U16s)
McGaughin (GK) – Yeah, dunno
Mikaela Bangalan – Fencibles (2024 U17 World Cup, 2024 Oceania U16s)
Mila Morles – West Coast Rangers
Millie Boyle – Eastern Suburbs
Miya Stott – Hibiscus Coast
Piper O’Neill – Auckland United (2024 Oceania U16s)
Sienna Makwana – Western Springs
Taylah Byers – Fencibles United (2024 Oceania U16s)
Taylor Vujnovich – West Coast Rangers
Righto, those are the clubs they played for during the 2025 season as well as the recent NZ representative teams they’ve been part of. The 2023 Oceania U16s were qualifying for the U17 World Cup in 2024. The 2024 OFC U16s were qualifying for the U17 World Cup that is happening later this year. The 2025 OFC U16s, which only just happened in August, were to qualify for the 2025 U17 World Cup. Many of those who didn’t go to those tournaments will have at least trialled for them.
Keep in mind that the 2025 U17 WC is in October (NZ is in a group with Japan, Zambia, and Paraguay), hence that squad oughta be named within a fortnight. There’ll probably be a hefty Wellington Phoenix contingent but several of these players will be involved too. And, you know, maybe a couple South Islanders as well (they tend to end up in the WeeNix anyway).
I can’t find confirmation for a goalkeeper named McGaughin anywhere, apologies for that. Giz a yell if you can fill in those blanks (or if there are mistakes anywhere else). Otherwise, pretty sure that’s everyone identified. Fencibles and Melville continue to punch above their weight as development clubs while Auckland United are heavily represented. Good to see presences from both Tauranga Moana and Hibiscus Coast despite both teams struggling in the NRFL Premiership this year – just goes to show there was still plenty being gained by those efforts.
Some of these players only played youth footy this season. Some were first-team regulars. It’s a decent mix of both. Based on the tournament histories, it seems they picked a staggered group that spans a few different birth years rather than just a bunch of 2008 girls.
West Coast Rangers, Auckland United, Eastern Suburbs, and Western Springs are all going to the National League, giving us nine players here to watch out for... plus anyone else who manages to scoop up a loan move (last year Fencibles midfielder Rosie Missen played for Central Football and also did some youth coaching there, leading to a couple of Central players moving up to join Fencies this year – Zara Erol-Watt & Lilly Dowsing – perhaps that road might go the other way too?).
Players who started both games: Taylor Vujnovich, Laura Bennett, Piper O’Neill, Mila Morles, Lane Ririnui
If you’re keen on learning about the NZ U20 World Cup squad that was finally announced on Friday then you’ll either have to wait until I break it down in an article later in the week (assuming I can find the time)... or you can get on board with a Paid Substack subscription and have a peek beyond the paywall today.
Musical Jam...
