Ventures
Steven Adams got traded, Blackcaps in Test mode, return of Ford Trophy/HBJ Shield, Tall Ferns/Football Ferns Olympic quals, NRL juniors, Flying Kiwis transfers & more
Podcast
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Youtube
Reading Menu
Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Three Staples Of Warriors Footy For 2024 (Rugby League)
Seven Of The Best Kiwi-NRL Junior Halves In Australia For 2024 (Rugby League)
Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Releasing Ronald Volkman & Updated Depth Chart (Rugby League)
Analysing Chris Wood’s Resurgent Burst Of Form Under Nuno Espirito Santo (Football)
A Mid-Season Check Up On The Kiwis At Aussie A-League Clubs (Football)
Flying Kiwis – January 31 (Football)
The Long, Confusing Timeline of Steven Adams’ Knee Injury (Basketball)
Previewing The Tall Ferns Quest For 2024 Olympic Qualification (Basketball)
Blackcaps vs South Africa Test Series: State Of Affairs & Squad Breakdown (Cricket)
2023/24 Men's Super Smash All Stars (Cricket)
2023/24 Women's Super Smash All Stars (Cricket)
2023/24 Super Smash Scout: Best Youngsters Before Finals (Cricket)
27fm Weekly Playlist: February 2 (Music)
Scotty’s Word
As always we have a full menu of New Zealand sports information below and across our channels. Yesterday we recorded the Subscriber Pod which included a chat about the NZ Warriors SG Ball team named to play their first game this weekend, Blackcaps preview notes for the first Test vs South Africa, and we reacted to the Football Ferns squad named for Olympic qualifying.
That trio will probably form a regular rotation for the Sub Pod which is usually recorded on Thursdays - there was also a sneaky reaction to the stink Charlisse Leger-Walker news. You can access the Sub Pod with a paid Substack subscription or by joining the Patreon whanau. There is also membership section on Buy Me A Coffee where the Sub Pod goes but BMAC seems better for one-off donations.
All podcasts go on Youtube so search the Niche Cache and subscribe there. We record a big ol' monster Niche Cast usually on Tuesdays and then drop a few clips over the next few days. This week we had our Blackcaps Test chat/Super Smash finals review and the Wellington Phoenix/Kiwis in A-League chat as the clips. Our latest website yarns are above in the Reading Menu and the Monday/Friday newsetters are always full of kiwi sports notes.
No LPGA tournament this weekend for Lydia Ko and not until February 22nd when they hit up Thailand. Along with the Tall Ferns squad and NZ Breakers red flags, the Niche Cast this week also included a bit about Ko's driving accuracy. The last time Ko had an Average Driving Distance over 70% she was averaging 245.47m per drive. After two tournaments this year she is over 70% ADD and averaging 251.44m per drive. Ko sacrificed accuracy for distance and she has found lovely balance to start 2023.
Average Driving Accuracy | Average Driving Distance
2019: 70.08% | 245.47m
2020: 66.62% | 254.42m
2021: 65.52% | 259.21m
2022: 66.44% | 255.34m
2023: 62.61% | 251.71m
2024: 70.5% | 251.44m
In the Sub Pod yesterday we ventured deep into the mangroves and realised that Rachin Ravindra didn't do much in ODI batting around the World Cup. 2023 was Ravindra's debut year for ODIs and along with a dip in form this summer (one score over 10 runs in six innings), Ravindra was a World Cup legend and otherwise ho-hum...
World Cup: 10inns, 578 runs @ 64.22avg/106.44sr, 3 x 100, 2 x 50
Outside World Cup: 11inns, 242 runs @ 22avg/112sr, 1 x 50
This angle that we have covered in recent weeks serves to balance the hype around Ravindra. Take out the World Cup and Ravindra has averages of 14.6 (Tests), 22avg (ODIs) and 12.16 (T20Is). World Cup mahi hits different and now Ravindra will play an intriguing role in a Blackcaps batting unit that has Ravindra, Devon Conway, Tom Latham and Tom Blundell at various levels of the 'out of form' water slide.
Blundell has a good Bay Oval record as you can see below but his last four Tests feature scores of 7, 3, 17*, 6, 6, 0, 2.
Latham kinda sucks at Bay Oval and he has only two centuries since the start of 2020, averaging 40+ in one of the last four years. Latham had a fantastic Super Smash though (243 runs @ 40avg/135sr) to balance out his lack of Test runs.
Blackcaps at Bay Oval (2+ Tests)…
Batting
Tom Blundell: 219 runs @ 36avg/61sr
Devon Conway: 214 runs @ 53avg/50sr
Kane Williamson: 207 runs @ 41avg/46sr
Mitchell Santner: 151 runs @ 75avg/47sr
Tom Latham: 96 runs @ 13av/43sr
Bowling
Neil Wagner: 21w @ 25avg/3.1rpo
Tim Southee: 14w @ 36avg/2.9rpo
Kyle Jamieson: 7w @ 22avg/1.8rpo
Mitchell Santner: 5w @ 27avg/1.9rpo
Kyle Jamieson is tremendous at Bay Oval but he has played just five and a bit games of cricket this summer (the bit of a game was the NZ 11 tour game vs South Africa in which Jamieson bowled 8 overs in the second innings). Jamieson has scores of 44*, 23, 9 and 20 this summer along with wicket tallies of...
Plunket Shield: 1w, 4w
Tests in Bangladesh: 2w, 0w, 0w
Super Smash, 1w
NZ 11: 0w
Northern Districts defeated Auckland in Ford Trophy yesterday. ND put up 319/6 thanks to Joe Carter's 106 runs @ 92sr and Brett Hampton's 126* @ 126sr. ND then bowled Auckland out for 215 with their youngsters taking all the wickets: Matt Fisher 5w @ 4.6rpo, Tim Pringle 3w @ 3.4rpo and Kristian Clarke 2w @ 6rpo.
This is funky because ND went 2-7 in Super Smash and are now 4-1 in Ford Trophy. Carter, Hampton, Clarke and Fisher were all alright in Super Smash but nothing close to their Ford Trophy mahi. Pringle was their best Super Smash player and he's solid in Ford Trophy...
Ford Trophy | Super Smash
Brett Hampton: 314 runs @ 157avg/121sr | 131 runs @ 16avg/119sr
Joe Carter: 271 runs @ 54avg/91sr | 108 runs @ 18avg/106sr
Kristian Clarke: 11w @ 17avg/4.5rpo | 3w @ 51avg/8.3rpo
Matt Fisher: 9w @ 23avg/4.8rpo | 5w @ 38avg/11.3rpo
Tim Pringle: 7w @ 27avg/4.3rpo | 10w @ 24avg/8.3rpo
Super Smash is the most visible format so lads like Pringle, Zak Foulkes and Will O'Rourke got lots of buzz, but Clarke and Fisher are excellent one-day bowlers. Pringle's List-A record will improve with a steady diet of Ford Trophy...
Kristian Clarke: 19.7avg/5.1rpo
Matt Fisher: 21.43avg/5rpo
Tim Pringle: 50.53avg/5.2rpo
HBJ Shield cricket returns this weekend and here is a reminder of the best players...
Batting
Mikaela Greig: 232 runs @ 77avg/100sr
Caitlin Gurrey: 224 runs @ 44avg/69sr
Leigh Kasperek: 203 runs @ 40avg/81sr
Georgia Atkinson: 202 runs @ 50avg/68sr
Polly Inglis: 197 runs @ 49avg/84sr
Jess McFadyen: 195 runs @ 39avg/69sr
Georgia Plimmer: 186 runs @ 46avg/99sr
Maddy Green: 168 runs @ 168avg/85sr
Frances Mackay: 163 runs @ 40avg/77sr
Felicity Robertson: 158 runs @ 39avg/58sr
Bowling
Claudia Green: 11w @ 13avg/3.7rpo
Eden Carson: 10w @ 8avg/3rpo
Sarah Asmussen: 10w @ 23avg/4.3rpo
Emma Black: 9w @ 15avg/3.9rpo
Leigh Kasperek: 9w @ 16avg/3.1rpo
Kayley Knight: 9w @ 19avg/5rpo
Gabby Sullivan: 9w @ 28avg/4.8rpo
Nicole Baird: 8w @ 23avg/4.5rpo
Bree Illing: 8w @ 25avg/5.2rpo
Rosemary Mair: 7w @ 15avg/4rpo
Jock McKenzie is commanding attention for Auckland and he was impressive against ND with 2w @ 5.5rpo. McKenzie's really good with easy bowling rhythm that enhances swing and seam, bowling with decent pace as well as being a capable batter - although this is not unique in the immensely talent young crop of cricketers. Like the other leading youngsters, McKenzie has the tools to play all three formats for Aotearoa.
McKenzie is also playing cricket and not preparing for Super Rugby. We will have to wait and see if McKenzie continues down the cricketing route and I don't want to jump the gun but, as I learn about another wave of Kiwi-NRL juniors who were either recruited from 1st 15 or played 1st 15 and league, McKenzie opting for cricket over rugby union is fascinating given the number of 1st 15 talent in the Kiwi-NRL mixer (also fascinating as we learn more about the NZR/Silverlake deal).
Four of the five outside backs named for NZ Warriors SG Ball played 1st 15...
Motu Pasikala: Liston College
Malakai Cama: Rotorua Boys High School
Nganatatafu Vake: Rotorua Boys High School
Hiraka Waitai-Haenga: Hamilton Boys High School
Waitai-Haenga is part of an HBHS trio who played 1st 15 last year and are now in NRL systems. Caelys Putoko is with Titans and Inga Kohukohu is named for Bears SG Ball.
The NZW SG Ball halfback is Maui Winitana-Patelesio who combined league and union for Te Aroha and St Pat's Silverstream. Winitana-Patelesio is the perfect SGB half for NZW as he is from Wellington offering regional funk and he seems like a lovely chap...
NZW could have an Australian half in the three grades below NRL. Byron Bay's Jesse Soric is named for SGB, Panthers junior Luke Hanson could start in Jersey Flegg before joining Rockhampton's Ben Farr in NSW Cup. NZW will have a Kiwi-NRL junior half in those teams as well and if they are impressive as Winitana-Patelesio, then that's some freaky halves depth.
NZW play against Eels who have Dakota Kakoi (Linwood) and Javahn Stevenson-Hala (Dannevirke). Sharks named Manako Piutau (St Paul's College) and Pharrell Gray (Rongotai College) as their two edge forwards. All four played 1st 15 as well as league.
Here is a basic breakdown of the NZW SG Ball team...
Motu Pasikala: Liston College(Tonga)
Malakai Cama: Rotorua Boys High School
Nganatatafu Vake: Rotorua Boys High School
Hiraka Waitai-Haenga: Hamilton Boys High School
Raphael Sio: Pt Chevalier/Mt Albert
Jesse Soric: Byron Bay
Maui Winitana-Patelesio: Te Aroha/St Pat's Silverstream
Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea: Manurewa/De La Salle College
Jacob Auloa: Pt Chevalier/St Paul's College
Jason Salalilo: Papanui/St Thomas of Canterbury College
Lyrakai-Layke Posimani: Ellerslie/Takapuna Grammar
Kayliss Fatialofa: Manurewa/De La Salle College
Junior Sikuvea: De La Salle College
Jeriko Filipi-Talisau: Manurewa/St Paul's College
Malachi Filipo: St Paul's College
Francis Tuimauga: Mangere East
Alvin Chong Nee: Manurewa/Sacred Heart College
Andrew Nansen: Bay Roskill/St Peter's College
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
There’s nothing like a massive news dump on a Friday afternoon when you’re trying to wind down the working week... Steven Adams has been traded to the Houston Rockets! The Memphis Grizzlies get Victor Oladipo’s expiring contract and three second round draft picks in return. Neither Adams nor Oladipo have played this season, Adams definitely won’t while there’s no known date for Oladipo’s return. Funnily enough, Oladipo and Adams were former teammates at OKC Thunder for a while. Oladipo is also one of the investors in the NZ Breakers ownership group.
First instinct here was a three-lettered acronym: WTF. This is a write-off season for the Grizzlies, with Adams hurt and Ja Morant suspended and then hurt as well. Several other injuries that they’ve been dealing with too. They’re not going to be doing anything in the postseason and at this stage they’re kinda just rolling through depth options and thinking about the future. Maybe that’s gotten them confused because now they’ve flipped a bloke who does so many things to help them win, despite a year of seeing how much worse they are without him.
It’s a pity because it seemed to be such a great fit for Adams in Memphis, where he was appreciated both on and off the court. But team-wise there hadn’t been quite the roll-on that there should have been after a great first season. Adams got injured. Ja Morant started acting like an idiot. Dillon Brooks tried to play mindgames in the playoffs and only succeeded in losing his mind (then was promptly released... signing with the Rockets where he and Steve-o will now be reunited). It’s weird because it felt like this should have been a likeable team of young stars playing an exciting style of basketball but that’s not how it worked out. It’s going to be strange watching them now without that lens of Steven Adams context.
So why did they trade him? Not because of his injury-prone nature because that’s a myth. Already wrote about that over here – he’s had this one serious injury which seems like it was probably mismanaged by the Grizzlies (their current injury woes don’t exactly put that theory to rest either) and other than that he’s only had a handful of instances of missing more than a few games at a time in a career that spans a decade in the toughest league on the planet playing in the toughest position in the toughest possible way.
Nope, they traded him because of the finances. Simple as that. He’s got one more year on his contract earning $12.6 million. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr are on max deals and Desmond Bane’s max kicks in next season. Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Brandon Clarke, and Steven Adams are also all earning eight figures. They were right on the fringes of the second level of luxury tax which would enforce restrictions on their roster building as well as the inherent financial friskiness. Something had to be done.
Now, did they trade the right bloke? That’s a matter for debate – I mean, they made a point of trying to add more veteran leadership last offseason now they’ve dumped one of their best in that regard. But you can’t trade amongst yourself, there has to be another team involved, and the Houston Rockets wanted Steven Adams. That was the offer that was available and they took it.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has built his youthful Rockets side on stoic defence and it’s no secret that they were craving a powerful, experienced centre to pair with emerging force Alperen Sengun. Now they’ve got one... for next season. Sounds like probably a backup role for Adams, although it would be possible to pair the two sometimes given Sengun does have a decent jump shot. The idea seems to be that Funaki will play 20-ish minutes per game and also be a mentor for the young Turk, whilst reinforcing Udoka’s hard-edged defensive-minded approach.
I’ll try and flesh this all out with some more words in full article form over the weekend, but my prediction is this: the Houston Rockets win more games than the Memphis Grizzlies in 2023-24.
I’ve got a Football Ferns Olympic Qualifying Squad piece in the works as I write this, so this is me trying to formulate a depth chart based on who has been picked and then also in brackets those who were specifically mentioned as being unavailable, aka those deemed as worthy omissions.
GK – Anna Leat | Vic Esson | Bri Edwards
RB – Grace Neville | Mackenzie Barry | Ally Green | (CJ Bott)
CB – Rebekah Stott | Claudia Bunge | Mackenzie Barry | (Meikayla Moore)
CB – Katie Bowen | Kate Taylor | Liz Anton
LB – Michaela Foster | Liz Anton | Ally Green (Ali Riley)
RM – Indi Riley | Grace Jale | Gabi Rennie | (Paige Satchell)
CM – Daisy Cleverley | Betsy Hassett | (Malia Steinmetz)
CM – Annalie Longo | Macey Fraser | Katie Kitching (Ria Percival)
LM – Betsy Hassett | Ava Collins | Jacqui Hand
FW – Jacqui Hand | Gabi Rennie | Ruby Nathan
FW – Hannah Wilkinson | Grace Jale | (Milly Clegg)
That’s 31 players, accounting for a few doubles for those I can see covering multiple positions. To be honest, I’m quite surprised we didn’t see a few more fresh additions given how early this is in a new cycle, the relative softness of these fixtures, and the fact that games clash with many club fixtures being outside of an ordinary FIFA window. But I can understand the desire to keep things as close to top strength as possible, given how rare it is to get a two-week tour with actual opportunity for extended training time and not just the normal rhythm of: train > game > recovery > game > home-time.
Even still, here’s an XI of players I’d like to see get an opportunity over the next twelve months, some of whom aren’t quite ready yet, some of whom have already played a little, some of whom have been in multiple squads but are currently out of favour...
GK – Murphy Sheaff (Kansas State University)
CB – Rebecca Lake (Wellington Phoenix)
CB – Jana Niedermayr (SKN St. Pölten)
CB – Marisa van der Meer (Wellington Phoenix)
RB – Manaia Elliott (Wellington Phoenix)
CM – Emma Main (Wellington Phoenix)
CM – Emma Pijnenburg (Feyenoord)
CM - Hannah Blake (Adelaide United)
LWB – Jana Radosavljevic (MSV Duisburg)
FW – Maggie Jenkins (University of Central Florida)
FW - Deven Jackson (Canberra United)
I’d also chuck Aniela Jensen in there as a midfielder, same deal for Alyssa Whinham if she can earn some bigger minutes at the Phoenix – this month might be her best shot with their entire starting midfield soon to be absent. It’s too soon for Helena Errington and Ella McMillan at the Nix but I’m confident they’ll be in the conversation by the time of the 2027 World Cup. Kiara Bercelli and Suya Haering are other interesting cases having joined European pro clubs at a young age.
Plus I’d still like to know if Maya Hahn is allowed to swap back since she never actually got to play for any German youth national sides. And I can’t help but wonder whether Chloe Knott leaving the Nix might have inadvertently spoiled her international chances – she becomes eligible for the Ferns this year (not sure at which point in the year, I just know it’s sometime in 2024... perhaps she’s already there?).
Speaking of emerging talent, the Tall Ferns have confirmed what we already knew which is that Charlisse Leger-Walker will not be going to the Olympic Qualifiers (Tall Ferns and Football Ferns OQs incoming, folks!). She was still named in the initial squad as the injury happened mere hours before it was announced. But now that the ACL tear has been confirmed she’s had to be replaced. And her replacement is... Pahlyss Hokianga.
Hokianga is a guard from out of the Hawke’s Bay who played for the Mid-North Whai in the last Tauihi season. She’s got a solid reputation at age grade level, having played U15s and U16s for NZ... but not much else because Pahlyss Hokianga is only 16 years of age. In fact, if she takes the court she will become the youngest ever Tall Fern, breaking the current record which is held by the player she’s replacing in this squad: Charlisse Leger-Walker.
Look, if she turns out to be as good as Charlisse Leger-Walker then this was an inspired bit of selection. But the worry is that this adds another extremely young player into a squad that is already desperately short on experience... with a place in the Olympics on the line (which more or less boils down to whether we can beat Puerto Rico or not).
It’s a brave call, that’s for sure. Interested to see if she plays much at all or if this is more of a developmental opportunity for her. I still think we’re a real chance of winning that Puerto Rico game but I’d feel a lot more confident if they weren’t missing half their full-strength squad (including at least three starters) due to injury at this present moment in linear time.
Support The Niche Cache
Join the Patreon whanau or jam a paid Substack subscription for an extra podcast each week.
Make a sporadic donation through Buy Me A Coffee.
Tell a friend.
Flying Kiwis Transfer Tracker
The transfer window is now closed across Europe, so this might be the last one of these roundups/gossip mags that I do for a while. See how it goes. Not a blockbuster window like a few of the recent ones but that was fully expected. There simply weren’t many established internationals looking for a change in scenery.
Here are the major deals of January 2024:
Jacqui Hand - Aland Utd to Lewes FC
Alex Greive - St Mirren to Dundee Utd (Loan)
Ria Percival - Tottenham to Crystal Palace (Loan)
Suya Haering - Auckland Utd to Turbine Potsdam
Dalton Wilkins - Kolding to SonderskjyE
Scott Morris - Christchurch Utd to Stoke City
Callan Elliot - Free Agent to Motherwell
Milly Clegg - Western Sydney Wanderers to Racing Louisville
Kian Donkers - NEC Nijmegen U21s to VVV-Venlo U21s
Rebecca Burrows - Newcastle Jets to Hainan Qiongzhong
Jana Radosavljevic - Fenerbahce to MSV Duisburg
Kees Sims - Ljunskile to GAIS
Marco Rojas - Unattached to Brisbane Roar
The biggie from the last few days has been Kees Sims joining GAIS in Sweden. He’d spent the last two seasons playing as a regular starter (despite still being an U20 player) at Ljungskile in the Swedish third tier. In between seasons he’s established himself as the king of the trial circuit. To quote from a recent edition of this newsletter: Last offseason Sims spent time with Lilleström SK (Norwegian top tier), Leicester City (English top tier, at the time), Nottingham Forest (English top tier), and Coventry City (English second tier). This offseason he’s had a go with GAIS (Swedish top tier), Hobro IK (Norwegian second tier), and Örgryte IS (Swedish top tier).
Alright then, which one of those fine establishments stumped up the transfer fee? Drum roll please... your winners are: GAIS! Not the team he was most recently trialling with, but a team he did introduce himself to a wee while ago – clearly leaving a good impression.
It’s unlikely Sims will get to remain a starter for the newly promoted Allsvenskan side (whom he actually played against two years ago on their way back up the pyramid)... but that’s to be expected when you make a leap two tiers upwards. This is an excellent move which his old club are also proud of. Both for promoting a young player successfully and also because they kinda need the money. Sims joins GAIS on a three-year contract. Brilliant for a 20 year old goalkeeper. GAIS also happens to be a former club of Dan Keat, Craig Henderson, and Steven Old.
There has been a cheeky rumour floating around some of the Celtic FC forums about the Scottish champs having a peek at Liberato Cacace but that’s nothing to take seriously. Let that one roll out for a goal kick.
Also Aussie/Adelaide goalie Joe Gauci just made a massive move to Aston Villa, breaking the A-League record transfer fee in the process (reportedly around AU$2.5m). In case you didn’t know, Gauci spent a good chunk of his childhood living on Waiheke Island. A more than tenuous kiwi connection... although he’s now firmly entrenched in the Socceroos so don’t get to having any ideas there. Actually, the kiwi link to focus on here is the precedent this move sets for someone like Alex Paulsen. AP has made 18 appearances in the A-League. Gauci is two years older and played 71 ALM games. Now is when you want to start having ideas.
Joe Gauci vs Alex Paulsen in 2023-24
JG: 1.70 GA/90 | 73.8% Saves | 2 Clean Sheets | 1 Pen Save (1/2)
AP: 1.21 GA/90 | 77.8% Saves | 5 Clean Sheets | 3 Pen Saves (3/4)
You’ve surely already seen that the Brisbane Roar were able to scoop up Marco Rojas. Would have loved to see him with the Wellington Phoenix again – kinda think he offers more immediate value to them than Youstin Salas (although he might also have been more expensive, with other ALM clubs obviously part of the bidding war). But fair enough. Rojas has had a break from football since leaving Colo-Colo, saying he felt burnt out and that he wanted to spend some time away with his family (in particular his grandmother who is terminally ill). He’s only signed with Brizzy until the end of the season. He’s just looking for the most comfortable spot to get back into the swing of things.
There are often a few things to learn from a Football Ferns squad announcement. This latest one was no different, with Betsy Hassett still listed as a Stjarnan player which suggests (as anticipated) that she’ll be sticking around in 2024. I haven’t been able to find anything confirming that so that squad note is the best we’ve got to go on. Also it says there that Gabi Rennie is unattached, having graduated university, but that Ava Collins remains at St John’s. Collins already wrapped up her senior year, there’s even a pic on her instagram in her kit from during that preseason captioned “Last dance” which really doesn’t sound like she was planning on returning for a fifth season... but then she also doesn’t have graduation pics or anything. Maggie Jenkins is going back to college for one last season too so that strong crop of college to professional grads we were hoping for this year will have to wait another twelve months.
Joe Champness got a mention here a few editions ago, the gist being that he’s been injured since the November international window (seemingly getting hurt whilst away with the All Whites) and that his Turkish club Adanaspor weren’t sure if he would be back for the second half of the season. Now it turns out that he won’t be.
One of the football comrades, the bro YoungHeart, noticed recently that JOWIC;s Transfermarkt page has been updated with him as a free agent. It’s since been reported in Turkey that he has indeed been given an early release. The Turkish Football Federation website says that his contract was terminated on 29 January.
So... yeah. Joe Champness is a free agent. I’m not big on wanting to see the Auckland A-League team drag players away from overseas gigs (in my mind, the ALM is there to provide a pathway to those spots, not the other way around – and there are enough talented locals who deserve an opportunity) but here’s a clear example of someone who would really benefit from such a deal.
That’ll do… check out the new album by kiwi band Office Dog and enjoy your weekend…