TOP 5
1; Winston Reid – without doubt, New Zealand’s bestest and most highest profile player. A God amongst men. Will offer solidity at the back against those nippy Island forwards. Will be in Dubai.
2; Chris Wood - giant lumbering centre forward who is going through a lean spell at Leeds. Has missed some real sitters (and you wouldn’t want to miss a Sitter!). Captain.
3; Glen Moss – hasn’t played for the All Whites in almost 2 years, while Stefan Marinovic has come in and performed admirably between the sticks. Questionable positioning. Will be the No 1 at the OFC. Undoubtedly. Possibly.
4; Johan Cruyff; inventor of the Cruyff Turn, the very essence of Total Football. His inclusion would be a key factor for the AWs. Has to shake of his sicknote reputation, mainly garnered from being dead.
5; Hilary Barry; honest as they come, the nations darling. Available now after contract dispute with Club has been resolved. Could form a deadly duo with John Campbell, though questions over control of emotions persist.
OTHER NOTABLES
8; Chris Killen; with the All Whites struggling to find a solution for their defensive midfield problems, expect Killen – without doubt NZ’s greatest DM – to announce his return from retirement.
10; Leo Messi; genius on the ball, lover between the sheets. Only his previous 107 appearances for Argentina make him unavailable. Still, we live in hope.
12 through 15; Some club hackers no one has ever heard off
17; Richie McCaw; if John Key can somehow get off his dick, then the Father Dougal lookalike would be able to lead the traditional All Whites pre-match war dance The Macarena.
20; Sam Malcolmsen; would have himself at number 1, the man who offers answers to questions no one asked could provide experience so the AWs avoid “doing a Honiara”
21; Adnan Januzaj; recent rumours have suggested to could switch allegiance to Kosovo after bombing out with Belgium. Has heard of New Zealand, which may make him eligible. Warm up the fax line to FIFA
23; Lorde – recent broken arm will have this creative genius sweating.
A STARTERS CHANCE
24 through 45; every South African currently residing in Browns Bay
LONG SHOTS
46; Brad Scott, ol’ Duggers will vouch for him
47; Silvio Berlusconi who would provide entertaining Bunga Bunga parties post-match
48; David Bain; looks great in a jumper, broke Batman’s back - so both elegant and powerful
49; Anyone playing in Scandanavia
50; David Mulligan – you never know