Jason Pine: The White Ferns are in a risky position

In trying to improve the consistency of the White Ferns, where should we be focusing our attention?

First and foremost, it seems to me that our domestic competition simply doesn't prepare our players for international cricket.

There are a couple of sides that dominate domestic women's cricket, but the overall standard of the domestic comp is simply too far below international cricket.

Scoring lots of runs and taking lots of wickets domestically isn't a good indicator as to whether a player is ready to contribute consistently at international level, because the gap is currently too big between the two.

The best elite sporting structures also create competition for places in the national side.

The realisation and crystal-clear knowledge that if you don't perform, there's someone waiting to take your place - and take their chance - simply doesn't exist right now.

And that in no way says that players don't care because they know they can't get dropped, but it's a simple fact that competition for places increases performance.

Bryan Stronach talked about addressing that - not only the Super Smash and Hallyburton-Johnstone Sheild - but the age-group comps and creating a bigger pool of talent.

But the word he used most was time, it takes time.

Unfortunately, in the instant gratification and results-driven business of elite sport, you're not always afforded that.

The worst thing that can happen here is for apathy to set in, in the White Ferns fan-base, especially its discretionary one.

Sports fans who will take interest and invest in a side they see is making progress, and is backed by an organisation with a constant search for improvement - my gut feel is that isn't how NZ sports fans feel about the White Ferns right now.

They are very much on the fence about watching them or not.

And there's only one thing worse than not performing and not progressing - and that is becoming irrelevant.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk zb in.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Trying to improve the consistency of the White Ferns, where
should we be focusing our attention? At first and foremost,
it seems to me that our domestic competition, the women's one,
simply doesn't prepare our players for international cricket. There are
a couple of sides that dominate domestic women's cricket, but
the overall standard of the comp is simply too far

(00:37):
below international cricket. Scoring lots of runs and taking lots
of wickets domestically in New Zealand is not a good
indicator as to whether applier is ready to contribute consistently
at international level because the gap is currently far too
big between the two. Now, if you think about the

(00:59):
best elite sporting structures that support an international side, the
best ones create competition for places in the national side,
the realization and crystal clear knowledge that if you do
not perform, there is someone just waiting to take your

(01:20):
place and take their chance, and that simply doesn't exist
right now, and that in no way says that the
players who are there don't care because they know they
can't get dropped. I'm not for a second suggesting there
is complacency among our top White Fern's players, and i
am not for a second suggesting that they are not
trying as hard as they can. But it's a simple

(01:42):
fact that competition for places increases performance. Now, Brian Stronik
talked there about addressing that not only the Supersmash and
the Halliburd and Johnston Shield our two domestic comps, but
the age group competitions and creating a bigger pool of talent.
But the word he used the most often was time.
It takes time, unfortunately, and the instant gratification and res

(02:06):
alts driven business of elite sport, you're not always afforded
that time. And as I said to Brian, the worst
thing that could happen here is for apathy to set
in in the White Fans fan base, especially the discretionary
fan base, those fans who will make a decision on
various factors as to whether they'll follow a side or not.

(02:28):
They'll take an interest and invest in a side they
sees making progress and is backed by an organization with
a constant search for improvement. Now, my gut feel is
that isn't how New Zealand sports fans feel about the
white fans right now. They are very much on the
fence about watching them or not. And there's only one
thing worse than not performing and not progressing, and that
is becoming irrelevant. No sport can afford to become irrelevant.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
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