The Procession
Warriors wobbles plus Jett Cleary, Blackcaps T20 stuff, NZ NBL scorers, Charlisse Leger-Walker's transfer & more
Podcast
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Youtube
Reading Menu
Kiwi-NRL Spotlight: Alec MacDonald The Kiwi Stormer (Rugby League)
Macey Fraser Signs With Utah Royals: A Unique Journey, A Record Fee & Wellington Phoenix Pathways (Football)
Notes From The Wellington Phoenix’s 1-1 Draw With Newcastle Jets (Football)
Flying Kiwis – April 23 (Football)
Reflecting On The Wellington Phoenix Women’s First Crop Of Import Players (Football)
2024 Kiwi County Tour: The Arrival Of Will Young & Nathan Smith Keeps Grinding (Cricket)
Breaking Down The Blackcaps T20 Squad To Tour Pakistan (Cricket)
Updating The Blackcaps vs Pakistan T20 Squad Breakdown (Cricket)
27fm Weekly Playlist: April 26 (Music)
Scotty’s Word
Today we recorded our Subscriber Pod covering the NZ Warriors loss vs Titans, Blackcaps win vs Pakistan and some Wellington Phoenix preview notes for their game on Saturday vs Macarthur FC. All of which is a bonus for the generous folks funding our mahi through Patreon or with paid Substack subscriptions.
On our Tuesday podcast I highlighted that NZ Warriors have not shown any NRL championship contending things. Then NZ Warriors rolled out another stinker at Mt Smart and here are some bits to ponder...
NZ Warriors at Mt Smart in 2024
vs Sharks: 12-16 loss
vs Knights: 20-12 win
vs Sea Eagles: 22-22 draw
vs Titans: 24-27 loss
Stink things in NZ Warriors losses at Mt Smart
vs Sharks: 21 Missed Tackles, 9 Errors, 8 Penalties Conceded
vs Knights: 29 MT, 10 E, 4 PC
vs Sea Eagles: 39 MT, 13 E, 4 PC
vs Titans: 43 MT, 9 E, 5 PC
Nerdy rugby league thing here with a classic example of over-chasing on defence from Jacob Laban even though NZW have good numbers in defence - doesn’t help that Dylan Walker does the opposite and stops chasing…
You may have seen the news that NZW have signed Jett Cleary from Panthers and this was fascinating, not because NZW have signed a young half from Panthers with a funky Cleary-connection to Mt Smart, but because Cleary is merely the latest young half joining NZW from Australia.
The news headlines and NZW buzz overlooked a trend that has been present since ... well at least July 2023 when I whipped up this Aotearoa Warriors Diary that specifically mentioned Jett Cleary possibly joining NZW. While that stayed on the back-burner until this week, NZW signed four other young halves from Australia in that period...
Luke Hanson: Panthers - started in Jersey Flegg now playing NSW Cup
Jesse Soric: Byron Bay - played SG Ball
Tallan Egan: Lithgow - played SG Ball
Jack Thompson: Cessnock - playing Harold Matthews (final this weekend)
Big ups to Bill McCutcheon who pointed out Jack Thompson. It seems as though Thompson started the Under 17 H-Matts season with Knights and played his last game for Knights on February 17th, then popped up for NZW H-Matts on March 10th. With Thompson in the halves, NZW U17s have worked their way to the final to be played on Saturday in Sydney.
This means that NZW have had a young Aussie half in every team this year (including NRL with Luke Metcalf) and it's far deeper than just recruiting Ivan Cleary's son.
Two Zyon Maiu’u clips to check out if you haven’t already: Set of doom and straight up the guts.
Here is a snippet of the regional flavour in NZW U17s named for their final...
Joseph Ratcliffe: Palmerston North (fullback)
Karius Booth: Balclutha (wing)
Tyson Hansen: Rotorua (halves)
Dezman Laban: Wellington (edge)
Lennox Tuiloma: Christchurch (middle)
Bulldogs are in the U19 SG Ball final and they love Kiwi-NRL lads...
Roy Tatupu: MAGS (fullback
Shaye Faa'aoga: Kelston Boys/Pt Chevalier (centre)
Sosaia Alatini: Hornby (edge)
Sione Siulua: Manurewa (bench)
Some Blackcaps vs Pakistan stats and things...
Batting
Mark Chapman: 114 runs @ 57avg/170sr
Tim Robinson: 83 runs @ 20avg/136sr
Dean Foxcroft: 78 runs @ 26avg/113sr
Tim Seifert: 33 runs @ 16avg/126sr
Michael Bracewell: 31 runs @ 15avg/100sr
Tom Blundell: 28 runs @ 28avg/186sr
Bowling
Will O'Rourke: 3w @ 20avg/7.5rpo
Ish Sodhi: 3w @ 21avg/7.1rpo
Michael Bracewell: 3w @ 30avg/9rpo
Ben Sears: 2w @ 28avg/8.1rpo
Ben Lister: 1w @ 10avg/5rpo
New Zealand vs Pakistan for T20Is in Pakistan:
9 games, 4 wins, 3 losses, 2 no-results
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
The Blackcaps had another lovely T20I win in Pakistan this morning and word on the street is that they will announce their T20 World Cup squad next week. The Blackcaps have made the last three World T20 semi-finals, losing to England in 2016, beating England then losing to Australia in the final of 2021, and losing to Pakistan in 2022. Not a lot of time between events having three of them in the space of four years, is there?
The team that the ‘caps rolled out in that 2022 semi-final was:
Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, and Trent Boult
Since then, they have played 35 further T20 internationals for 16 wins, 14 losses, 2 ties, and 3 no-results. A slightly winning margin... pretty decent considering how they’ve used 35 different players in those games. And the bloke they’ve used the most is not necessarily someone you’d spend your first guess upon (unless you’re remembering that there have been two different tours to Pakistan in that time).
Most T20I Games Since The Last World Cup
Mark Chapman – 34
Ish Sodhi – 29
Daryl Mitchell – 24
Mitchell Santner – 22
Finn Allen, Adam Milne, Glenn Phillips & Tim Seifert – 20
Then you’ve got Tim Southee and Jimmy Neesham rounding out the top ten with 18 appearances each. In other words, there are only two players who’ve appeared in more than 75% of the team’s games in this format during this spell and the bloke who played the most wasn’t even in the semi-final eleven last time. Nor were two of the others in the top ten. Here’s the full list of those 35 names, check and see if anyone surprises you (they’re listed in order of appearances)...
Chapman, Sodhi, Mitchell, Santner, Allen, Milne, Phillips, Seifert, Neesham, Southee, Ravindra, Conway, Ferguson, Lister, Bowes, Henry, Sears, Young, Latham, M.Bracewell, Duffy, McConchie, Clarkson, Foxcroft, Jamieson, Shipley, Robinson, Tickner, Williamson, Boult, Cleaver, O’Rourke, Blundell, Ashok, Foulkes.
Is it an issue that Kane Williamson and Trent Boult have only played five combined T20I matches since November 2022? Maybe yes, maybe no. Time shall tell. This is my best prediction for a 15-man World Cup squad...
Allen, Conway, Williamson, Mitchell, Chapman, Phillips, Bracewell, Santner, Southee, Ferguson, Boult, Sodhi, Neesham, Ravindra, Seifert
That leaves me feeling uncomfortably short on an extra pace bowler, so I’d like to squeeze Milne or Sears in there as well but not sure who would get dropped. Jimmy Neesham or Rachin Ravindra would have to be the one yet each of them very obviously offers something of value. Tim Southee averages 18.46 at under 8 runs per over in this span so don’t be thinking he’s on the fringes... perhaps Trent Boult isn’t such a certainty after bowling six overs at 12 rpo against Australia? Nah, that’s crazy talk. Surely.
20+ Point Games By Kiwis So Far In This NZ NBL Season:
5 - Corey Webster
4 - Hyrum Harris, Tohi Smith-Milner, Rob Loe & Keanu Rasmussen
3 - Tom Vodanovich & Izayah Le’Afa
2 - Taylor Britt, Campbell Scott & Jordan Ngatai
1 – Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Liam Judd, Tai Webster, Dan Fotu, Reuben Te Rangi, Sam Timmins, Carlin Davison, Ethan Rusbatch & Flynn Cameron
Corey Webster was one point off adding another 20+ in the Tuatara’s blockbuster win over Taranaki on Wednesday night. Hit a three near the end but it turns out his foot was on the line, just a two-for instead. He was 0/6 from deep in that game and still scored 19... plus even more consequential were his 10 assists. CW’s been superb for Auckland and that team is good fun to watch because if it’s not him it’s Rob Loe or it’s Tom Vodanovich or it’s Reuben Te Rangi. The Tall Blacks veterans are getting it done for that lot, who are looking pretty good since that 30-point week one defeat against Wellington (before Vodanovich turned up to complete their starting five).
Hyrum Harris is in MVP candidacy form, averaging 19.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals through six games. Some players do a little of everything. Harris does a lot of everything – he was battling through injury in the Saints win on Anzac Day too, only questionable to appear prior to tip-off. Keanu Rasmussen is basically Australian but he’s registered as a local thanks to his kiwi-born dad. Mentioned him before here. Not yet sure where his allegiances lie.
Campbell Scott is another funky name on that list. He’s 20 years old having come through the ranks in Manawatu. Has played NZ U18s and is getting big minutes this year for the Jets. Scoring is inconsistent, as per most young players. He has a 28-pointer and a 2-pointer... doubt there’s many players with that much disparity between their highest and lowest scores. Scott’s had at least three assists in 4/6 games as well. Breakthrough campaign areas.
Another bloke to mention is Tohi Smith-Milner who last week signed a two-year deal with the Brisbane Bullets... not something I was necessarily expecting to see happen. He’s yet to really flourish in the Australian league so after a very quiet campaign with Adelaide, his third team, it seemed like a fourth gig would be hard to come by for a dude who shoots a career 30% from deep in this league. But Brizzy have been watching the Aotearoa stuff, because TSM has been shooting the lights out for the Saints. Boosted by his 30-point game against the Nuggets in which he shot 8/11 from three-pointers, TSM is converting at 42.5% overall. 18.9 points and 9.0 rebounds. When the shot is dropping he’s a completely different prospect.
From a team perspective, Smith-Milner’s Wellington Saints are making 13.5 triples per season which is almost four makes more than the second-placed team (Tauranga Whai). Franklin Bulls do nudge them slightly on the percentages but from way fewer attempts. The Saints also get by far the most assists. Hence they average 101 points per game, while the second best offence is Canterbury at 92.2 (there are five teams between 91-93 and then somehow more than an eight-point gap to first). By the way, best defence in the comp? Right now that’s Taranaki Airs who are giving up 80 points per game. Tauranga Whai are slightly behind at 80.8. Those two play each other tonight, funnily enough, so no doubt that’ll be a 110-108 shootout.
Charlisse Leger-Walker has announced that she’s committed to UCLA Bruins for her final season of college basketball. There’s this huge buzz around women’s college basketball at the moment, thanks largely to the Caitlin Clarke phenomenon, which is now finally spilling over into the WNBA after the latest draft and it was weird watching all of that unfold whilst knowing that CLW might have been part of that procession if she hadn’t gotten injured. But luckily she’s got an extra year of NCAA eligibility due to the covid rule so since she was going to miss the entire WNBA season anyway, she might as well go back and prove herself with one more uni season instead.
But she chose not to do so with Washington State. Nothing drastic there, she was preparing to leave anyway were it not for the ACL tear. It just made sense to make a switch for this bonus year – putting herself a little more in the spotlight at a more pedigreed school. UCLA aren’t one of the very best programmes but they have made the top sixteen of the national champs for the past two years.
CLW has also played against UCLA on numerous occasions as a conference rival so this actually keeps her in the Pac-12 conference whereas WSU are reportedly switching to the West Coast Conference (WCC). Coincidentally, it was against the Bruins that Leger-Walker suffered her injury. That’s one way to exorcise those demons. UCLA was also the team that Washington State beat in the Pac-12 final two years ago when CLW won the Player of the Tournament nod. It’s expected she’ll replace Charisma Osborne in the line-up, after she was drafted in the third round by the Phoenix Mercury.
Something surprising happened in the Northern League during the week: Auckland City lost. They lost to By Olympic in a midweek match rearranged to clear some space in the fixtures for their Champions League stuff next month. Ronaldo Munoz scored in the sixth minute and, try as they might, ACFC could not find a response. At home, no less... although it was at the Croatian Cultural Club not Kiwitea Street. City were undefeated in winning the Northern League last year so this was their first defeat in this competition since 2022 when Auckland United popped them.
However, City are still first on goal difference and can very quickly reassert themselves as they face Western Springs in a top of the table clash on the weekend at Kiwitea. Several ex-ACFC players are now on the books for Western Springs, with the most notable being Emiliano Tade who’ll be trying to take his consecutive scoring streak up to seven games at his old stomping ground. Springs did knock City out of the Chatham Cup last year too (though they’ve lost all five Northern League meetings, conceding 20 goals in the process).
Quick word for Bay Olympic though. This was their fourth win in seven games, despite having a pretty young squad without many proven National Leaguers. Eric Konstandini Ziu and Ronaldo Munoz played a bit for Manurewa last year while Nic Milicich has done some NL bits in recent years. But mostly it’s an unproven group... who have already beaten both Eastern Suburbs and Auckland City, the two undefeated sides from last year.
A tune to take you into the weekend...