Results improved as the tourney went on. New Zealand3Tonga 0 New Zealand 6 Samoa 0 New Zealand 5 Vanuatu 0 New Zealand 7 Fiji 1 New Zealand 11 Solomons 1
Interesting that AV doesn't see veterans like Ali Riley, Percival, Hassett, Longo & Wilkinson as lockins for the Olympics. Riley no longer captain, but still playing at a high level in the NWSL.
Would be a bit of an uproar I suspect if Clegg & Fraser weren't picked. So that makes 12 lockins I reckon.
As things stand, barring an upset by Uzbekistan over the Matildas, New Zealand will be seeded ninth, which means they’ll be in pot three for the draw, which therefore means they will draw two tough opponents and either Colombia - World Cup quarterfinalists in 2023 - or one of the two African teams.
The hopes and prayers for the friendliest draw possible can start in earnest once the pots are locked in. If Colombia, currently ranked 26th, were to catch the Ferns, ranked 22nd, before then (so Ferns drop to seeded tenth), the picture would change, and thee tough opponents would be on the cards again.
In the meantime, Ferns coach Jitka Klimková has some big decisions to make.
Since the start of July last year, when her side began their final preparations for the World Cup on home soil, she has called on 38 different players.
Only 18 will be allowed in the squad for the Olympics, while four will go as travelling reserves.
Five months out, you can probably write 10 names down in bold, when you account for the fact that the Olympics are being treated, to a certain extent, as a stepping stone for the 2027 World Cup.
They are goalkeepers Esson and Anna Leat, who started the final and semifinal respectively in Samoa; fullback CJ Bott (absent from this tournament); centre backs Bowen, Claudia Bunge and Rebekah Stott; midfielder Malia Steinmetz (also absent); and forwards Hand, Jale and Riley (India P-R).
The other eight spots are there to be won, starting in April, when the Ferns host Thailand for two matches in Christchurch.
Barry has to be No. 13 surely. The emphasis has to be on future players, so not Wilkinson. Hassett and Longo could be included if we can't find experienced enough midfielders.
Jale, Indi Riley & Hand all better stats than Wilkinson. Fraser great on the freekicks, and did well in only her 2-3 games.
If Clegg starts making NWSL match day squads at Racing Louisville, that's enough for her to go to Paris. Best I reckon Wilkinson can hope for now is one of the 4 travelling reserve spots, if everyone is fit. As AV says the Olympics squad will be picked with one eye on the 2027 WWC, and developing younger players.
Apart from leaving Moore out her WWC squad, Klimkova has pretty much retained all of the veterans to date during her reign as coach. But with that big home WWC campaign over, and a smaller squad (18 + 4) for the Olympics, plus 12 months later younger players like Fraser and Barry developing well - Jitka is definitely going to be excluding some of those long time Ferns players from her Paris squad. Be interesting to see how that goes down!
This would be a great next gen team to take us to the Olympics.4231
Clegg Jale, Fraser, Hand Lake, Paige - Riley McMeeken, Bowen, Stott, Bott Leat.
I reckon Lake has the right skills to be our Ferns holding mid and would be great for goal box work with her height.
And McMeeken just gets better each game.
Kitching, Nathan, Bunge, Steinmetz, Barry, Esson, Edwards.Assuming we take 3 keepers in the squad of 18.
Foster, Taylor, Neville, Whinham, as traveling reserves. Plus Erceg if she wanted 😜 She would start at CB and Bowen would move across to LB.
I can’t see any plus side to having experienced players there. They have had so many chances to show what they can do. These players above can have a chance to step up and prove they are the future. If not change and try some others. Eg Wiz and Elliot and VanDer Meer- when they are recovered.
Imagine the 3rd keeper will be one of the 4 travelling reserves. Hopefully they make the 4 reserves all young players, to give them some big tourney experience.
Steinmetz (age 25) was one of the Ferns best at the WWC. She starts for me. ALW is a pretty weak league on a world scale, doubt either Lake or McMeeken are good enough at the moment. Definitely too early for whippet Nathan (yet to score a goal in the ALW), but her time will come - however the likes of Hassett & Longo are ahead of her for now. Only 18, Nathan will get another U20 WWC this year in Colombia, as presumably will McMeeken (19).
And yes wonder if van der Meer or Wisnewski will be back playing by August. What with Olivia Chance? She must have had her bub by now, so training hard to make a football return?
There has been a steady change under Klimokova. Plenty of young players getting chances. I mean Huddo like, I read she's picked 38 players since early last year! Some older players have retired - Erceg, Anna Green & Rosie White. Nayler is finished it seems. Think Wilkinson will be the next to fade out. Clegg pushes her out. But Stott, Percival, Longo, Hassett, Ali Riley are still all going okay. Apart from Fraser no other youngsters screaming pick me. Paris likely the final big tourney though, for most of the old guard.
What a waste of time. The Solomon Islands were absolutely pathetic, god knows how we only got 11. They were far worse than Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, or Vanuatu
The whole OFC is an emabarrassment to football, both for the women and men. I understand why we stayed when Aussie left but it was such a short sighted decision, look at the where the aussies are compared to us after decades of regular decent international competition. Yet we still get our place in a world Cup every 4 years after beating up on hacks
Those "hacks" are very grateful for the practice, though. Getting hard games against us (as opposed to 20 goal drubbing by Oz) is how the island nations improve.
Seriously: if we left OFC it would have to merge into Asia and so Vanuatu would have to fly all the way to Malaysia if they're lucky, goddamn Turkmenistan if not, to get their arses kicked just as hard. Every country no matter tiny has 1 FIFA vote and they need us in.
Those "hacks" are very grateful for the practice, though. Getting hard games against us (as opposed to 20 goal drubbing by Oz) is how the island nations improve.
Seriously: if we left OFC it would have to merge into Asia and so Vanuatu would have to fly all the way to Malaysia if they're lucky, goddamn Turkmenistan if not, to get their arses kicked just as hard. Every country no matter tiny has 1 FIFA vote and they need us in.
That's kinda my point, we are the big fish in a tiny tiny pond and gain very little from playing these games excet automatic qualification into WC. Much the same as the aussies did before leaving for asia. If we want to grow our skill level we need to be playing higher level teams more often, yes it will most likely mean losing a few in the early years, but we will vastly better off in the future.
Those "hacks" are very grateful for the practice, though. Getting hard games against us (as opposed to 20 goal drubbing by Oz) is how the island nations improve.
Seriously: if we left OFC it would have to merge into Asia and so Vanuatu would have to fly all the way to Malaysia if they're lucky, goddamn Turkmenistan if not, to get their arses kicked just as hard. Every country no matter tiny has 1 FIFA vote and they need us in.
That's kinda my point, we are the big fish in a tiny tiny pond and gain very little from playing these games excet automatic qualification into WC. Much the same as the aussies did before leaving for asia. If we want to grow our skill level we need to be playing higher level teams more often, yes it will most likely mean losing a few in the early years, but we will vastly better off in the future.
But last time the Ferns played OFC opposition was back in 2018. We don't actually play them very often. You could argue the level of opposition the Ferns have been playing is often too high for where they are at. Playing teams like USA as often as we do, is good for our defensive structure but does next to nothing for us developing attacking combinations. Which seems to be our issue.
Scoring 11 against a team that doesnt defend or has a keeper that isnt up to anything isnt gonna help either though. Out attackers need to be able to break down the best defenders. Beating up on the minnows does more to weaken our skillset, it creates a false sense of skill and ability.
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Don't get me started on those two, they may well be the fastest in Oceania, and may well make it out of their heat at the Olympics, but they are still a fair way off making the final let alone medalling. But lets spend the money on them anyway and bump someone else out of the team that may have a chance of medalling so they can say they've been to an Olympics.
I also don’t think it’s accurate that Oceanian teams would get pummelled every single time if we joined Asia. The top half of Asia (or top two thirds may be more accurate) would pummel them, but there are a lot of very poor teams in the Asian Confederation as well.
Vanuatu beat Mongolia last June before losing 1-0 to India and 3-1 to Lebanon which is respectable. The Solomon’s drew with Singapore before losing 4-1 to Malaysia. And PNG also drew with Singapore before being pummelled by Malaysia.
Would they make a World Cup? Nope. But would still be useful development for them as well as NZ.
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Don't get me started on those two, they may well be the fastest in Oceania, and may well make it out of their heat at the Olympics, but they are still a fair way off making the final let alone medalling. But lets spend the money on them anyway and bump someone else out of the team that may have a chance of medalling so they can say they've been to an Olympics.
The fixation on medalling is the issue. Being one of the 20-30 fastest people on planet earth, in a blue ribbon Olympics event basically available to every living human - the ability to run very fast - makes you an elite athlete. The ability to ride a horse very well, open to a tiny slice of our population, not so much.
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Don't get me started on those two, they may well be the fastest in Oceania, and may well make it out of their heat at the Olympics, but they are still a fair way off making the final let alone medalling. But lets spend the money on them anyway and bump someone else out of the team that may have a chance of medalling so they can say they've been to an Olympics.
The fixation on medalling is the issue. Being one of the 20-30 fastest people on planet earth, in a blue ribbon Olympics event basically available to every living human - the ability to run very fast - makes you an elite athlete. The ability to ride a horse very well, open to a tiny slice of our population, not so much.
coochiee
theprof
coochiee
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Don't get me started on those two, they may well be the fastest in Oceania, and may well make it out of their heat at the Olympics, but they are still a fair way off making the final let alone medalling. But lets spend the money on them anyway and bump someone else out of the team that may have a chance of medalling so they can say they've been to an Olympics.
The fixation on medalling is the issue. Being one of the 20-30 fastest people on planet earth, in a blue ribbon Olympics event basically available to every living human - the ability to run very fast - makes you an elite athlete. The ability to ride a horse very well, open to a tiny slice of our population, not so much.
side tracking the thread a bit, but the commonwealth games (Friendly games) is essentially the participation games, the Olympics is the best of the best. Smaller nations like ours can only fund so many atheletes, being a decent chance of medalling is key. Zoe's fastest time last year 10.96, that time would have given her a distant 4th place in 2020, winning time of 10.61, 2nd 10.74 and 3rd 10.76. Her best 3 years later is still 0.20 seconds slower than 3rd. If selected she would have to be at her absolute best and hope that the standard hasnt improved to get close to the finals.
Why then spend all those precious dollars on a 22 person Ferns squad (plus coaching staff)? They ain't close to the best of the best. Their FIFA ranking of 30 is likely generous (opposite of the AWs). Even in a small 12 team event, the Ferns have almost zero chance of medalling.
Note I have no idea if FIFA pay a sizeable chunk of costs for the Olympics football events. They may do, which then yes dilutes my agrument.
If being the winner was all that mattered in sport, nearly everybody should not bother. Which makes sport pointless. So,if there is any point to playing sport, all those players who do not win are the ones who make it matter.
Why then spend all those precious dollars on a 22 person Ferns squad (plus coaching staff)? They ain't close to the best of the best. Even in a small 12 team event, they have almost zero chance of medalling.
Note I have no idea if FIFA pay a sizeable chunk of costs for the Olympics football events. They may do, which then yes dilutes my agrument. A very subjective and I guess pointless comparison, but in brutal terms is Zoe Hobbs a better athlete than Hannah Wilkinson.
No idea about what FIFA do or do not fund, but the football is in effect a separate competition given it starts before the actual games do. Cant compare the two - theyh are vastly different disciplines. Hobbs has been very successful, good on her, she is the fastest woman in Oceania and has been dominating over the last two years. Does that mean she should go to the Olympics, for mine not really. There are and always have been standards that are required to be met, meeting qualifying times is one, but in Athletics at least there has always been the requirement of being in the top 8 (or something like it) in the world.
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Don't get me started on those two, they may well be the fastest in Oceania, and may well make it out of their heat at the Olympics, but they are still a fair way off making the final let alone medalling. But lets spend the money on them anyway and bump someone else out of the team that may have a chance of medalling so they can say they've been to an Olympics.
The fixation on medalling is the issue. Being one of the 20-30 fastest people on planet earth, in a blue ribbon Olympics event basically available to every living human - the ability to run very fast - makes you an elite athlete. The ability to ride a horse very well, open to a tiny slice of our population, not so much.
coochiee
theprof
coochiee
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Don't get me started on those two, they may well be the fastest in Oceania, and may well make it out of their heat at the Olympics, but they are still a fair way off making the final let alone medalling. But lets spend the money on them anyway and bump someone else out of the team that may have a chance of medalling so they can say they've been to an Olympics.
The fixation on medalling is the issue. Being one of the 20-30 fastest people on planet earth, in a blue ribbon Olympics event basically available to every living human - the ability to run very fast - makes you an elite athlete. The ability to ride a horse very well, open to a tiny slice of our population, not so much.
side tracking the thread a bit, but the commonwealth games (Friendly games) is essentially the participation games, the Olympics is the best of the best. Smaller nations like ours can only fund so many atheletes, being a decent chance of medalling is key. Zoe's fastest time last year 10.96, that time would have given her a distant 4th place in 2020, winning time of 10.61, 2nd 10.74 and 3rd 10.76. Her best 3 years later is still 0.20 seconds slower than 3rd. If selected she would have to be at her absolute best and hope that the standard hasnt improved to get close to the finals.
Zoe Hobbs is ranked 15th in the world at 100m. I personally think she deserves to be at the Olympics. 70 odd athlete's compete in this event at the olympics. Yes she probably won't medal, unless she does a Bradbury. She may make the final though if she PB's. If the All Whites are good enough to qualify for the world cup. Should they forfeit there place because they are unlikely to make the final? Or should we pull the U23 from the olympics for the same reason.
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Don't get me started on those two, they may well be the fastest in Oceania, and may well make it out of their heat at the Olympics, but they are still a fair way off making the final let alone medalling. But lets spend the money on them anyway and bump someone else out of the team that may have a chance of medalling so they can say they've been to an Olympics.
The fixation on medalling is the issue. Being one of the 20-30 fastest people on planet earth, in a blue ribbon Olympics event basically available to every living human - the ability to run very fast - makes you an elite athlete. The ability to ride a horse very well, open to a tiny slice of our population, not so much.
coochiee
theprof
coochiee
Yes is 50 games and over 5 years, since the Ferns last played OFC opposition. That is partly due to Covid & of course the Ferns getting automatic entry to last years WWC. So yeah completely wrong to suggest by being in OFC the Ferns don't get to play plenty of higher ranked teams.
Whether is Olympics or WWC qualifying it's only a 2 week tourney, that takes up just 1 window (when played in a window!). And with the piss easy cakewalk it is, then the Ferns get the regular tough pool games biennially, at either an Olympics & WWC that The Prof craves to see. Anyway the leaving for Asia debate has been done to death.
Still I'm sure true elite athletes like Zoe Hobbs or Eddie Osei-Nketia, would love to just have to be the fastest person in Oceania (sans Australia) to make an Olympics!
Don't get me started on those two, they may well be the fastest in Oceania, and may well make it out of their heat at the Olympics, but they are still a fair way off making the final let alone medalling. But lets spend the money on them anyway and bump someone else out of the team that may have a chance of medalling so they can say they've been to an Olympics.
The fixation on medalling is the issue. Being one of the 20-30 fastest people on planet earth, in a blue ribbon Olympics event basically available to every living human - the ability to run very fast - makes you an elite athlete. The ability to ride a horse very well, open to a tiny slice of our population, not so much.
side tracking the thread a bit, but the commonwealth games (Friendly games) is essentially the participation games, the Olympics is the best of the best. Smaller nations like ours can only fund so many atheletes, being a decent chance of medalling is key. Zoe's fastest time last year 10.96, that time would have given her a distant 4th place in 2020, winning time of 10.61, 2nd 10.74 and 3rd 10.76. Her best 3 years later is still 0.20 seconds slower than 3rd. If selected she would have to be at her absolute best and hope that the standard hasnt improved to get close to the finals.
Zoe Hobbs is ranked 15th in the world at 100m. I personally think she deserves to be at the Olympics. 70 odd athlete's compete in this event at the olympics. Yes she probably won't medal, unless she does a Bradbury. She may make the final though if she PB's. If the All Whites are good enough to qualify for the world cup. Should they forfeit there place because they are unlikely to make the final? Or should we pull the U23 from the olympics for the same reason.
Different requirements for different sports, the olympics is a development event for football hence u23's, NZ qualify for the WC event by winning the required tournaments. NZ Athletics has had these criteria for as long as I can remember and if you dfont meet them you dont get to go - end off.
If being the winner was all that mattered in sport, nearly everybody should not bother. Which makes sport pointless. So,if there is any point to playing sport, all those players who do not win are the ones who make it matter.
I also find the Olympics is the one sports event I watch, that motivates me to get off the couch and lead a healthier lifestyle. Maybe that's just me. But if Zoe or Gus at Olympics, even if they are just on NZ TV screens for a few mins running in a heat - inspire some Kiwi kids to get out an exercise that's cool.
A better measure of country to me is how healthy & fit it's popn is, not just it's spot on a medal table. And SportNZ/Spark or whoever funds sport in NZ, should be taking all that into account.
