Tinkering
Auckland FC & Wellington Phoenix, HBJ Shield & Ford Trophy, Warriors & Kiwi-NRL, NZ Breakers, All Whites, and more
Scotty’s Word
Northern Districts are HBJ Shield champions and Central Districts are Ford Trophy champions. My favourite thing about the ND win was how Nensi Patel and Kayley Knight had excellent seasons, were called up to the White Ferns squad, and then played roles in a historic HBJ Shield win for ND.
Patel was part of a top-order collapse (7 runs) and Knight added a few runs down the order (14 runs). Defending a smaller target of 183, Patel took 1w @ 2rpo and Knight took 2w @ 2.8rpo as part of a hearty bowling effort to seal the win. Knight adds another hostile seamer to the White Ferns mix with the pace and bounce they want.
That’s slightly different to Marama Downes who took 3w @ 2.6rpo in the final and she is the most reliable nibbler in kiwi cricket which should see her work towards White Ferns by taking lots of wickets, but she lacks the zip of the others like Knight, Bree Illing and Rosemary Mair.
Patel may be the smallest player in Aotearoa cricket and she had the second highest batting strike-rate in HBJ Shield as one of only two batters over 100sr...
Izzy Gaze: 89 runs @ 105.9sr
Nensi Patel: 290 runs @ 103.2sr
Polly Inglis: 300 runs @ 99sr
Patel was the only batter with at least two 50+ scores and a strike-rate over 90 - make that 87sr. Patel was also the second most economical spinner (10+ overs) in HBJ Shield behind Jess Watkin. They were the only spinners below 3.75rpo.
Nensi Patel This season
HBJ Shield: 290 runs @ 29avg/103sr | 14w @ 21.1avg/3.7rpo
Super Smash: 203 runs @ 22.5avg/98sr | 10w @ 18.1avg/6.7rpo
Holly Topp’s 39 runs for ND was the highest score in the final. The only other batter who scored 30+ runs was Isla McKenzie (32) who was batting eight for Wellington. None of the batters ahead of them in either team scored 20+ runs and Topp’s knock helped ND set a competitive target of 182 after being 61/5 in the 3th other.
Topp didn’t hit a boundary and scored at 64sr but those runs were just as important as the crisp bowling effort from ND. Topp had scores of 40* and 16* in the games prior to this, plus this is her first season (out of six) with 100+ runs and 20+ average.
Topp is in a great battle with CD’s Kate Gaging as the next best wicket-keeper in the White Ferns pipeline behind Izzy Gaze and Polly Inglis. Jess McFadyen is in the Gurrey/Anderson zone (awesome but not in the mix) and Canterbury has two youngsters in Abigale Gerken and Darcy Prasad.
CD won the Ford Trophy with Josh Clarkson taking 2w @ 4.4rpo as their best bowler, wrapping up a one-day campaign in which Clarkson was their best bowler throughout. Clarkson finished with 20w @ 23.6avg/4.9rpo and also scored 293 runs @ 41.8avg/122sr. That’s why Clarkson was part of the ODI squad that won in India and, like Dean Foxcroft and Jayden Lennox, Clarkson will remain part of the Blackcaps mix over the next few years.
Then Curtis Heaphy (105 runs) and Will Young (157 runs @ 119r) cruised through the run chase to grab the win. Heaphy is 22-years-old, scored 363 runs @ 60.5avg/68sr this season. He has a List-A career average of 53.13.
Heaphy scores slower than most other batters, especially Rhys Mariu and Bevon Jacobs who are the only other batters with comparable averages in the longer formats. While he will grow into a quicker scoring rate, Heaphy is the only one of these three who averages 45+ in both FC and LA.
Mariu and Jacobs both have FC averages over 50 but drop closer to 30 in LA. Given all the buzz about Mariu, Jacobs and many others, you’d best tap in with Heaphy because he may be the best young batter in Aotearoa right now.
Heaphy’s three LA seasons...
2023/24: 277 runs @ 39.5avg/57sr, 3 x 50
2024/25: 502 runs @ 71.7avg/78sr, 1 x 100, 3 x 50
2025/26: 363 runs @ 60.5avg/68sr, 2 x 100, 1 x 50
Young also scored a century in the elimination final so he had back to back centuries in Ford Trophy finals. He also averages 39.8 in both First-Class and LA batting ahead of more Plunket Shield cricket.
Henry Nicholls (115) and Tom Latham (80) scored runs for Canterbury in the final. Their mahi looks alright in Ford Trophy this season…
Nicholls: 588 runs @ 73.5avg/96sr, 4 x 100
Latham: 538 runs @ 89.6avg/97sr, 2 x 100, 3 x 50
Full stats for the HBJ Shield and Ford Trophy champions are listed for paid subscribers as well as a few more nuggets for ND women and CD men. I have also expanded on the Kiwi-NRL undercovers and possible debuts that are listed below.
NRLWahine try scorers for Panthers (not in NRLW) U19s this weekend .
Not my favourite, but my expected NZ Warriors team for round tahi…
FB: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
W: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
C: Adam Pompey, Ali Leiataua
H: Tanah Boyd, Chanel Harris-Tavita
HK: Wayde Egan
M: James Fisher-Harris, Erin Clark, Demitric Vaimauga
E: Kurt Capewell, Marata Niukore
Bench: Taine Tuaupiki, Samuel Healey, Jackson Ford, Jacob Laban, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Morgan Gannon
Next up: Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Luke Hanson, Makaia Tafua, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava
Five undercover Kiwi-NRL players on the rise...
Benaiah Ioelu: Hooker | Roosters | Otara
Simi Sasagi: Utility | Raiders | Ellerslie
Tukimihia Simpkins: Middle forward | Titans | Rotorua Boys High School
Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana: Forward | Knights | Mangere East
Bayleigh Bentley-Hape: Outside back | Rabbitohs | Moerewa
A few Kiwi-NRL juniors tracking towards NRL debuts this season...
Siale Faeamani: Winger | Titans | St Peter’s College
Jensen Taumoepeau: Winger | Titans | Western Suburbs - New Plymouth
John Fineanganaofo: Hooker | Dolphins | Auckland Grammar School
Elijah Rasmussen: Middle forward | Dolphins | Westlake Boys High School
Alekolasimi Jones: Forward | Bulldogs | St Paul’s College
Patrick Moimoi: Centre | Panthers | De La Salle College
Musical jam…
Nick’s Notebook
Congrats to the Breakers who managed to finish their season on somewhat of a high, smashing the Cairns Taipans by 31 points in their last regular season game (to ensure a 13-20 finish in seventh place) before out-lasting the Adelaide 36ers on the Gold Coast to win the inaugural Ignite Cup final. Champions of the in-season cup competition... no-one else has ever sung that before. They’d had a couple close losses to Adelaide in recent weeks but this time they were able to keep their momentum going throughout the fourth quarter... threatening to cough it up with some silly fouls in the last minute but they made their free throws to seal the deal.
Parker Jackson-Cartwright was awesome with 29 points, serving up the goods in the fourth - something he hasn’t always done this season (which admittedly is a coaching critique as much as anything against the team’s most talented player). Izaiah Brockington has been much better in the second half of the campaign and with 21 points from 9/13 shooting this was one of his best outings. Sam Mennenga also scored 21 points. Reuben Te Rangi added 17 points. Karim Lopez had 12. The Breaks shot 12/23 from threes in this game. It’d be a bit rude to ask where this was all season – it was a final, of course they were going to be up for it – but it certainly puts their upcoming offseason activities in a curious light.
Flashing back to the game against Cairns, the big blowout allowed for several minutes of garbage time, during which we were blessed with a line-up of:
Taylor Britt – Alex McNaught - Tukaha Cooper – Liam Judd - Jack Andrew
That’s NZ NBL supremacy right there. They eased into that group by having Carlin Davison out there in place of McNaught for a couple minutes alongside the others. It was a dead rubber game between two teams that had already missed the playoffs but the Breakers turned up and the Taipans didn’t. Sam Mennenga scored a career-high 32 points (15/19 FG) in his return from injury, coming back four weeks into what was supposed to be a six to eight week absence for a fractured wrist (carrying that influence on into the Ignite Cup final). Carlin Davison’s 15p/11r effort was also a career best. Needless to say, so was the 7pts in 18min for development player Cooper. No Rob Baker or Izaiah Brockington, no dramas. Now the work ramps up for general manager Dillon Boucher.
NZ Breakers Roster Status
Contracted for NBL27: Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Reuben Te Rangi, Izayah Le’Afa
Team Option for NBL27: Taylor Britt
Off-Contract: Rob Baker, Izaiah Brockington, Carlin Davison, Rob Loe, Max Darling, Tai Webster, Sean Bairstow, Karim Lopez, Sam Mennenga, Alex McNaught (DP), Jack Andrew (DP), Tukaha Cooper (DP), Liam Judd (DP)
Coach Petteri Koponen is also off-contract.
Having PJC under contract gives them some direction. Karim Lopez will definitely be gone, destined for the NBA, so there’s the question of whether they want another Next Star. If they do, it’ll be tough to find someone as capable as Lopez was this season. Retaining Sam Mennnenga should be priority tahi, followed closely by the head coach situation. Then they need to figure out if Izaiah Brockington is the guy they want to invest in alongside PJC?
Brockington Season Average:
16.0 PTS (49.9 FG%, 34.4 3P%) | 3.9 REB | 2.0 AST | -0.4 NET
Brockington Last 10 Games:
19.8 PTS (56.2 FG%, 51.2 3P%) | 3.8 REB | 2.6 AST | +5.4 NET
NZ Breakers Season Net Ratings (ORtg – DRtg)
(Minimum 150 mins played)
Sam Mennenga: +8.5
Karim Lopez: +6.5
Rob Baker: +5.3
Rob Loe: +2.8
Max Darling: +2.2
Izaiah Brockington: -0.4
Parker Jackson-Cartwright: -1.3
Tai Webster: -4.9
Carlin Davison: -5.3
Izayah Le’Afa: -15.0
Reuben Te Rangi: -15.4
Sean Bairstow: -33.2
All Whites World Cup Squad Check
Absolute Guarantees (17): Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Michael Boxall, Finn Surman, Tyler Bindon, Tim Payne, Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries, Joe Bell, Marko Stamenic, Ryan Thomas, Matt Garbett, Sarpreet Singh, Elijah Just, Callum McCowatt, Ben Old, Chris Wood
Probables (6): Bill Tuiloma, Nando Pijnaker, Alex Rufer, Jesse Randall, Ben Waine, Kosta Barbarouses
Contenders:
GK – Kees Sims, Henry Gray, Nik Tzanev, Michael Woud
FB – Storm Roux, James McGarry, Sam Sutton, Callan Elliot, Dalton Wilkins
CB – George Stanger, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Isaac Hughes
CM – Owen Parker-Price, Lachlan Bayliss
FW – Andre de Jong, Max Mata, Corban Piper, Luke Brooke-Smith, Logan Rogerson
That group of names includes every player who was capped during 2025. We’re expecting 26-man squads for this tournament which means that there are only a couple of spots available for the Contender Class, barring injuries. There are a few injuries at the moment but so far only Oli Sail has been ruled out of contention and he wouldn’t have been there anyway. Personally, I’d lean towards Sims, Elliot, and Parker-Price completing the set but lots can change between now and then. The fitness of Wilkins is a major factor in that.
Stocks Up
Henry Gray – On loan at Harrogate Town in League Two, his first taste of senior EFL footy (having had two previous loan stints in Non-League) and they’ve started to win some games since he arrived. The Ipswich loanee is still one for the future but he’s rising quickly and that GK3 spot wouldn’t go awry with him.
Lachlan Bayliss – Wrote about him a bit last week and he’s scored again in another Newcastle Jets win since. The story is the same where breaking into the World Cup squad in his attacking midfield position is pretty difficult, particularly for an A-League player, but injuries to Matt Garbett and Sarpreet Singh (plus I doubt Ryan Thomas will be there) should give him a chance in the March window.
Owen Parker-Price – Competing for the same spot as Bayliss, in all likelihood, he doesn’t have the same locality bias in his favour but with Örgryte about to begin their first campaign back in the top flight of Sweden he’s at a higher level. Every bit as versatile as Bayliss, probably more so, and more experienced too. He just scored in his first (cup) game of the year to remind everyone what’s up.
Stocks Down
George Stanger – Finally worked his way into the All Whites while Nando Pijnaker was injured but never managed to get a debut and has fallen out of favour at Kilmarnock after they changed managers. Unlike Sarpreet Singh, he never found a loan move in January either (not that it’s done Singh much help). He might have lost out to Nando anyway but there’s no debate if he’s not playing.
Luke Brooke-Smith – It’d be quite the bolter pick if he made it but LBS has been capped and his relatively rare skill set as forward who can go 1v1 against defenders offers something unique in the squad. Except that he fell out of favour at the Nix over the last few weeks of Giancarlo Italiano’s time at the Welly Nix, having not started a game all season. An interim boss could swing his fortunes though.
Andre de Jong – Not so much ‘stocks down’ as ‘stocks not quite risen as high as hoped’... ADJ’s move to South African giants Orlando Pirates has so far only seen him starting in cup games and they just got knocked out of the Nedbank Cup having lost a crucial PSL game against title rivals Mamelodi Sundowns beforehand. He’s gotten himself back in the frame for the national team but will need to boost his club contributions to grab one of those last few tickets to North America.
Wellington Phoenix Squad Check
Under Contract Next Season:
Tim Payne, Bill Tuiloma, Isaac Hughes, Matt Sheridan, Alby Kelly-Heald, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Xuan Loke, Nathan Walker, Gabe Sloane-Rodrigues, Jayden Smith, Luke Brooke-Smith, Anaru Cassidy (scholar)
Coming Off Contract:
Kazuki Nagasawa, Alex Rufer, Ifeanyi Eze, Ramy Najjarine, Paolo Retre, Nikola Mileusnic, Manjrekar James, Sander Kartum, Dan Edwards, Sarpreet Singh (loan), Carlo Armiento, Josh Oluwayemi, Fin Roa Conchie, Luke Supyk
Well, whoever they hire as coach for next season is going to have a clean slate to work with. It’s been reported that Chris Greenacre (as expected) will serve as interim for the fourth time, taking the team for the remaining eight games of the campaign (plus any finals games they might qualify for if Greenie strikes a chord). Greenacre coaches the Phoenix Reserves and just a few weeks ago re-signed as the Head of Pro Development at the club. Plus he’s the current NZ U20s coach.
Current Nix first-team players involved in last year’s U20 WC squad: Lukas Kelly-Heald, Xuan Loke, Nathan Walker, Luke Supyk. Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues, Jayden Smith & Luke Brooke-Smith. Alby KH would have been there too if he wasn’t injured. Fergus Gillion and Ryan Watson were additional Nix Reserves dudes involved (though Gillion’s playing OPL for Bula FC at the moment... and at 21yo he probably won’t be back with the academy).
And... if you want some speculation on how the Nix might look under Chris Greenacre then you’re going to have to sign up to the paid option. If you do, you’ll be directly supporting our ability to serve up these yarns and will earn our eternal gratitude.
Musical Jam...
