The Wellington Firebirds have missed out on a place in this year's Super Smash finals due to rain - but the Blaze are aiming to pick up their ninth title. What have been the best moments of this Super Smash season?
Also, Amelia Kerr has been named ICC's Womens Player of the Year. How much of an asset is she to New Zealand cricket and Wellington?
Weekend Sport host Jason Pine and All Sport Breakfast host Adam Cooper joined Nick Mills for the Friday Sport Kickoff.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk said B the Wellington Mornings Friday Sport Kickoff.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Joining us for Friday Sport Kickoff this week is Weekend
Sports hosts Jason pine Good Morning Piney, Good Morning Nick
and All Sports Breakfast host Adam.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Cooper Morning Coops, Morning Neck.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Right, let's start with the domestic Cricket twenty twenty finals
this week at the Basin. Unfortunately Firebirds not making it
strange having a finals in a place and not having
a team from the city in it. But Blaze are
going for their ninth title. Start with you Piney on
this great for the Blaze, not so good for the Firebirds.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah. I think the Firebirds some undone by a couple
of things. The weather yesterday obviously didn't give them the
opportunity to have a game, which, had they won, it
would have put them into the top three and therefore
at participation in the weekends. But really, when you look back,
they in the previous nine games only won four of
them and lost five, So I don't think the season
swung necessarily on the rain at the Basin yesterday. Had
(01:20):
they won a couple of more games earlier in the season,
they wouldn't have been in that situation where they had
to win to make it in. For the Blaze, look,
we know how good they are. However, they haven't qualified tops,
so they don't get direct entry. Tomorrow they'll take on
the Brave again, who they played or half played a
game against yesterday for the right to take on Otago.
(01:40):
I think, you know, for the first time in a
long time, the Blaze are not favorites to win the
T twenty cop.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I think the Sparks are Rotago.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
There's an old saying in sport Piney and Coops. I'll
come to you Coeps on this that if you don't
get if you don't get five, oh, you don't deserve
to be in the playoffs. That's mean you win and
lose the same amount. You know, you've got to give
you fifty percent. You don't deserve to be in the playoffs.
And now I'm a strong advocate of that.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Well, I mean, it's just been really interesting how the
Super Smash Ladder has been made up this year. It
has been incredibly tight competition. But aside from the Central
Stags and the Men's as an example, all the other
teams have had very similar records, and in fact, Canterbury,
Wellington and the next team behind Wellington and the men's
Otago who are fifth out of six, all have the
same win loss records. So you've got Canterbury there, who
(02:23):
have you know, four wins from their ten games, sorry,
you know, and then you know the same record for
all these other teams. So it's it's been a really
strange competition in that regard that there's been no I
mean Central Stags be the outlier. Then you've had all
these other teams who have had I guess it's fair
to say who hum seasons without any major consistency. And
two of them, you know, Northern Brave again not hugely strong,
(02:47):
but a little bit ahead of the rest of that
pack that I mentioned as through.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
But then the rest of.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
Them, Canterbury, Wellington, Otaga all had the chance to be
in this top three with pretty poor records, as you say,
below fifty percent. So yeah, interesting to see how that's
made up. And you know.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
What sort of crowd will they get there with me?
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I'll tell you what.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
There have been some double headers this season, you know,
all these games right through the season played the women's
and then the men's And there have been some games
at the Basin Reserve this season on beautiful days where
the Blaze have been playing in front of a great crowd,
and then the Firebirds have been playing in front of
less support. Its people have walked out after the women's
game because I think the Blaze have such a following
in this city for so many different reasons, personnel, prior
(03:25):
success and things like that. So I think you're going
to see a near full Basin Reserve at some point
in the weekend, especially if the Blaze make this final
on Sunday, and if not, tomorrow will be very close.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I reckon. There's just there's great support for this team. Wow,
that's a great call.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Great well done, merely a Kerr Piney. I mean, I
know that you know her very well and you know
her family very well. Was named Woman's ICC Player of
the Year. Now, this is an achievement I think, correct
me if I'm wrong, Piney, and I know you will
correct me if I'm wrong. Only been achieved once before
by a Kiwi. This is an amazing achievement for an
amazing young woman.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
Yeah, and I think that she's more than just a cricketer.
Meely Kerr. She is a well rounded human being. Everything
about her is so impressive. You know, she comes from
good stock, but you know, with her family deeply steeped
in the game of cricket, but you still have to
go out there and play it. The other thing about
Meli Kare obviously is it hasn't been a straight line
for her. You know, she's been, you know, for a
(04:22):
long time, very very good on the cricket field, but
she has been very open about her struggles with mental
health and has been an advocate for prioritizing that and
I think we've seen that happen more and more. But
let's just focus on her cricket for a moment. And
at that T twenty World Cup that ended with the
White Ferns, you know, winning the whole thing beyond all expectation.
(04:44):
She was absolutely superb at that tournament, just you know,
really the difference I think between New Zealand winning that
and not winning it, that's how important she was. She'll
inevitably end up captaining the White Ferns. She loves the game.
She's a deep thinker about it but outside of it,
and keeps talk there about the following that the Blays have.
(05:05):
I think a big part of it is the she
engages and all of her teammates engage with the cricket
in public merely. Kerr will never turn down a selfie,
never turn down an autograph, will always take up the
opportunity to mix and mingle with fans. She is a
high quality human being and I was just absolutely delighted
to see her recognized in this way.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, and the Stock, You're right, the Stock. I knew
her grandfather. He taught me at Tarboro College. I know
her father very well and mother a little bit. They
are all amazing people. And what they say, Coops, the
apple does not fall far from the tree totally.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
And you know what they've contributed to cricket. You know,
even before Mealy and Jess came on the professional scene
here has been absolutely outstanding. And you know, you go
to the base and you see a huge support crew
for the Curs there.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
For every game.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
They always have the same spot right around halfway round
the bank, just in front of the Wakefield Memorial. They're
making lots of noise. Great supporters of not just their
own relatives, but also just the Blazer and cricket in general.
So deserving and goodness me, you know, both her and
Jess I think still have so much more to contribute.
And in fact, Jess has had an outstanding domestic season.
(06:14):
She's almost clocked over three hundred runs in the Super
Smash alone from from just ten games and shouldn't forget
her and claimed wickets in the mid to lighteens. And
you know what's funny is that Jess is the oldest
sister of Meale, and Jess almost gave up cricket, and
Mealy was the one that encouraged Jess to get back
into cricket and get back to you know, vying to
be at the top level.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
And look at them.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
Both contributes so well, you know, both part of that
White fan success last year. Both part of the Blaze
who are gunning for a Night's title, which is absolutely
unbelievable in that women's competition absolutely brought up.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Let's quickly talk about the Hurricanes because the start of
preseason is against the chief now Coeps. This morning, Piney
showed me the team list, Nut, I couldn't count that many, Yes,
five forty seven?
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Go?
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Did you to play the Chiefs tomorrow? Yeah, I'll tell
you what they I'll be clocking up. I bet you
they're not flying.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
They won't be booking forty seven airplane tickets to tell
you that. Yeah. Look, I think this is the nature
of this time of the season, isn't it that everybody
gets a crack? Forty seven does seem like an awful well,
you know, I mean, you can probably get by with
you know, thirty odd, can't you. I mean, the a
normal matchday squad is only twenty three, so it's it's
twice that.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Are they going to start jerseys?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Are they going to take jerseys off? Have a jersey? No,
that's another one. That's another one.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Well, they had forty seven jerseys. I'm sure they will.
I'm sure they won't all be numbered. It's like in
social rugby and football when you come off at halftime,
I'll take your shirt off, mate. We need that for need,
need that for such and such for the second half.
It's it's it is quite odd when you think about it,
because the season itself is only two weeks away.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I'm sure Clark Laidlaw's.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Got his starting fifteen, his twenty three, his wider squad
in mind. But I think that's what this does is
engages everybody who is in that wider training group in
the Hurricanes Farano. So I actually don't mind it. Look,
and I think you take apps lutely nothing from the
score tomorrow in this game, because the Chiefs, by the
(08:11):
sounds of it, are doing the same thing. They're bringing
their whole shooting match across as well. So look, I
think it's a chance for these guys to get out,
put some boots on, stretch their legs. But I don't
think we take anything from what happens in terms of
the score tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Coops, you were studying that forty seven, I'm sure there's
names that you'd never even heard of.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Oh yeah, there's always a few.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
But you know, it's funny where they know they draw
the squad anything, Oh that's right there in the Canes,
So that's right there in the development squad. So I
think it's literally this weekend just about giving everyone a
run around. You know, they've only had a couple of
weeks of pre season, and you know it's all been
a little bit more rush this year because they're starting
a week ahead of usual. They're starting in exactly two
fridays from now against the Crusaders. So you know, i'd
great to see that the likes of Dupla, C. D
(08:51):
F and Brad Shields are there in the loose forwards.
It's a pretty powerful combo. But then keeping Peter Larky
and Braden yosse out, so Devin Flanders there at number
eight too, So that's the most interesting aspect for me.
But as Party said, can't read much into it at all,
but it will be just good to see all these
players getting a good run around and that and why
do we are Marta next Friday afternoon at about three
o'clock I think for the next preseason game, so that'll
(09:12):
be a big one for our region.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
I think the Blues off the top of my head.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Okay, we'll go out to should we go out for
a road trip to watch that?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I quite like that.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Why do you look at me like that? We're not
going to go out with an old man. Weekend Sport
hosts Jason Pine, thank you very much. Have a great weekend.
I'll be listening with bated breath as I wash my car,
so enjoy the weekend and all sports Breakfast hosts Adam Coops.
I'll get up in the morning, Adam and listen specifically
to you tomorrow morning from seven till nine.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk said B the Wellington Mornings Friday Sport Kickoff.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Joining us for Friday Sport Kickoff this week is Weekend
Sports hosts Jason pine Good Morning Piney, Good Morning Nick
and All Sports Breakfast host Adam.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Cooper Morning Coops, Morning Neck.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Right, let's start with the domestic Cricket twenty twenty finals
this week at the Basin. Unfortunately Firebirds not making it
strange having a finals in a place and not having
a team from the city in it. But Blaze are
going for their ninth title. Start with you Piney on
this great for the Blaze, not so good for the Firebirds.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah. I think the Firebirds some undone by a couple
of things. The weather yesterday obviously didn't give them the
opportunity to have a game, which, had they won, it
would have put them into the top three and therefore
at participation in the weekends. But really, when you look back,
they in the previous nine games only won four of
them and lost five, So I don't think the season
swung necessarily on the rain at the Basin yesterday. Had
(01:20):
they won a couple of more games earlier in the season,
they wouldn't have been in that situation where they had
to win to make it in. For the Blaze, look,
we know how good they are. However, they haven't qualified tops,
so they don't get direct entry. Tomorrow they'll take on
the Brave again, who they played or half played a
game against yesterday for the right to take on Otago.
(01:40):
I think, you know, for the first time in a
long time, the Blaze are not favorites to win the
T twenty cop.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I think the Sparks are Rotago.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
There's an old saying in sport Piney and Coops. I'll
come to you Coeps on this that if you don't
get if you don't get five, oh, you don't deserve
to be in the playoffs. That's mean you win and
lose the same amount. You know, you've got to give
you fifty percent. You don't deserve to be in the playoffs.
And now I'm a strong advocate of that.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Well, I mean, it's just been really interesting how the
Super Smash Ladder has been made up this year. It
has been incredibly tight competition. But aside from the Central
Stags and the Men's as an example, all the other
teams have had very similar records, and in fact, Canterbury,
Wellington and the next team behind Wellington and the men's
Otago who are fifth out of six, all have the
same win loss records. So you've got Canterbury there, who
(02:23):
have you know, four wins from their ten games, sorry,
you know, and then you know the same record for
all these other teams. So it's it's been a really
strange competition in that regard that there's been no I
mean Central Stags be the outlier. Then you've had all
these other teams who have had I guess it's fair
to say who hum seasons without any major consistency. And
two of them, you know, Northern Brave again not hugely strong,
(02:47):
but a little bit ahead of the rest of that
pack that I mentioned as through.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
But then the rest of.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
Them, Canterbury, Wellington, Otaga all had the chance to be
in this top three with pretty poor records, as you say,
below fifty percent. So yeah, interesting to see how that's
made up. And you know.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
What sort of crowd will they get there with me?
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I'll tell you what.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
There have been some double headers this season, you know,
all these games right through the season played the women's
and then the men's And there have been some games
at the Basin Reserve this season on beautiful days where
the Blaze have been playing in front of a great crowd,
and then the Firebirds have been playing in front of
less support. Its people have walked out after the women's
game because I think the Blaze have such a following
in this city for so many different reasons, personnel, prior
(03:25):
success and things like that. So I think you're going
to see a near full Basin Reserve at some point
in the weekend, especially if the Blaze make this final
on Sunday, and if not, tomorrow will be very close.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I reckon. There's just there's great support for this team. Wow,
that's a great call.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Great well done, merely a Kerr Piney. I mean, I
know that you know her very well and you know
her family very well. Was named Woman's ICC Player of
the Year. Now, this is an achievement I think, correct
me if I'm wrong, Piney, and I know you will
correct me if I'm wrong. Only been achieved once before
by a Kiwi. This is an amazing achievement for an
amazing young woman.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
Yeah, and I think that she's more than just a cricketer.
Meely Kerr. She is a well rounded human being. Everything
about her is so impressive. You know, she comes from
good stock, but you know, with her family deeply steeped
in the game of cricket, but you still have to
go out there and play it. The other thing about
Meli Kare obviously is it hasn't been a straight line
for her. You know, she's been, you know, for a
(04:22):
long time, very very good on the cricket field, but
she has been very open about her struggles with mental
health and has been an advocate for prioritizing that and
I think we've seen that happen more and more. But
let's just focus on her cricket for a moment. And
at that T twenty World Cup that ended with the
White Ferns, you know, winning the whole thing beyond all expectation.
(04:44):
She was absolutely superb at that tournament, just you know,
really the difference I think between New Zealand winning that
and not winning it, that's how important she was. She'll
inevitably end up captaining the White Ferns. She loves the game.
She's a deep thinker about it but outside of it,
and keeps talk there about the following that the Blays have.
(05:05):
I think a big part of it is the she
engages and all of her teammates engage with the cricket
in public merely. Kerr will never turn down a selfie,
never turn down an autograph, will always take up the
opportunity to mix and mingle with fans. She is a
high quality human being and I was just absolutely delighted
to see her recognized in this way.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, and the Stock, You're right, the Stock. I knew
her grandfather. He taught me at Tarboro College. I know
her father very well and mother a little bit. They
are all amazing people. And what they say, Coops, the
apple does not fall far from the tree totally.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
And you know what they've contributed to cricket. You know,
even before Mealy and Jess came on the professional scene
here has been absolutely outstanding. And you know, you go
to the base and you see a huge support crew
for the Curs there.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
For every game.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
They always have the same spot right around halfway round
the bank, just in front of the Wakefield Memorial. They're
making lots of noise. Great supporters of not just their
own relatives, but also just the Blazer and cricket in general.
So deserving and goodness me, you know, both her and
Jess I think still have so much more to contribute.
And in fact, Jess has had an outstanding domestic season.
(06:14):
She's almost clocked over three hundred runs in the Super
Smash alone from from just ten games and shouldn't forget
her and claimed wickets in the mid to lighteens. And
you know what's funny is that Jess is the oldest
sister of Meale, and Jess almost gave up cricket, and
Mealy was the one that encouraged Jess to get back
into cricket and get back to you know, vying to
be at the top level.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
And look at them.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
Both contributes so well, you know, both part of that
White fan success last year. Both part of the Blaze
who are gunning for a Night's title, which is absolutely
unbelievable in that women's competition absolutely brought up.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Let's quickly talk about the Hurricanes because the start of
preseason is against the chief now Coeps. This morning, Piney
showed me the team list, Nut, I couldn't count that many, Yes,
five forty seven?
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Go?
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Did you to play the Chiefs tomorrow? Yeah, I'll tell
you what they I'll be clocking up. I bet you
they're not flying.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
They won't be booking forty seven airplane tickets to tell
you that. Yeah. Look, I think this is the nature
of this time of the season, isn't it that everybody
gets a crack? Forty seven does seem like an awful well,
you know, I mean, you can probably get by with
you know, thirty odd, can't you. I mean, the a
normal matchday squad is only twenty three, so it's it's
twice that.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Are they going to start jerseys?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Are they going to take jerseys off? Have a jersey? No,
that's another one. That's another one.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Well, they had forty seven jerseys. I'm sure they will.
I'm sure they won't all be numbered. It's like in
social rugby and football when you come off at halftime,
I'll take your shirt off, mate. We need that for need,
need that for such and such for the second half.
It's it's it is quite odd when you think about it,
because the season itself is only two weeks away.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I'm sure Clark Laidlaw's.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Got his starting fifteen, his twenty three, his wider squad
in mind. But I think that's what this does is
engages everybody who is in that wider training group in
the Hurricanes Farano. So I actually don't mind it. Look,
and I think you take apps lutely nothing from the
score tomorrow in this game, because the Chiefs, by the
(08:11):
sounds of it, are doing the same thing. They're bringing
their whole shooting match across as well. So look, I
think it's a chance for these guys to get out,
put some boots on, stretch their legs. But I don't
think we take anything from what happens in terms of
the score tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Coops, you were studying that forty seven, I'm sure there's
names that you'd never even heard of.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Oh yeah, there's always a few.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
But you know, it's funny where they know they draw
the squad anything, Oh that's right there in the Canes,
So that's right there in the development squad. So I
think it's literally this weekend just about giving everyone a
run around. You know, they've only had a couple of
weeks of pre season, and you know it's all been
a little bit more rush this year because they're starting
a week ahead of usual. They're starting in exactly two
fridays from now against the Crusaders. So you know, i'd
great to see that the likes of Dupla, C. D
(08:51):
F and Brad Shields are there in the loose forwards.
It's a pretty powerful combo. But then keeping Peter Larky
and Braden yosse out, so Devin Flanders there at number
eight too, So that's the most interesting aspect for me.
But as Party said, can't read much into it at all,
but it will be just good to see all these
players getting a good run around and that and why
do we are Marta next Friday afternoon at about three
o'clock I think for the next preseason game, so that'll
(09:12):
be a big one for our region.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
I think the Blues off the top of my head.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Okay, we'll go out to should we go out for
a road trip to watch that?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I quite like that.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Why do you look at me like that? We're not
going to go out with an old man. Weekend Sport
hosts Jason Pine, thank you very much. Have a great weekend.
I'll be listening with bated breath as I wash my car,
so enjoy the weekend and all sports Breakfast hosts Adam Coops.
I'll get up in the morning, Adam and listen specifically
to you tomorrow morning from seven till nine.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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