Year of the Dog: More bite than bark
OPINION: On the Chinese horoscope 2018 is the The Year of the Dog, with the related resolution ‘‘A New Start’’, which all bodes well for the stumbling likes of league’s Warriors and netball’s Silver Ferns.
Even the Chiefs, who have lost coach Dave Rennie and No 10 Aaron Cruden might yet be found wandering around in a Chinese Scented Garden looking for oriental inspiration.
Let’s hope the Warriors find a hard-nosed bash-it-up prop wandering among the ponds and winding paths.
And maybe Silver Ferns coach Janine Southby will happen upon a Confucius-like character who can explain why Australia mostly beat them, even with a team of newbies. It would be good to sort that glitch out ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
So, casting a Year of the Dog eye over sport - with stops at a few lamp posts on the way - here’s some new starts to look out for this year.
FORMULA 1: Palmy boy Brendon Hartley can drop the L plates and go into full F1 mode in 2018. Newly married, now with a Honda-powered car, and four races in 2017 under his helmet, he will make F1 worth watching for your average Kiwi sports fan, not that Lewis Hamilton v Sebastian Vettel battles were ever dull.
RUGBY: All Black hooker Dane Coles and fullback Ben Smith spent much of 2017 recovering from concussions, and now injury in the case of Coles. Along with wing Nehe Milner-Skudder they’ll be hoping for a headache free, non-injury year.
CRICKET: Pink will save New Zealand test cricket. No, not pop star Pink, but the pink ball that enables day-night test cricket. On March 22 the Black Caps and England do pink ball battle at Eden Park. Be there to see history made.
MORE RUGBY: It’s a remodelled Super Rugby competition, but it’s not been ungraded to Super Duper Rugby. No Western Force, no Kings, no Cheetahs, but still the Sunwolves and woeful Rebels ... maybe that’s why it’s not called Super Duper Rugby. As it’s possible Coles and Smith got concussion trying to understand the conference system, we’ll avoid thinking about that.
LEAGUE: As per every other NRL season, it’s a new start for the Warriors. And for the Kiwis, after ‘‘yous’’ fans let them down so badly in the World Cup.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES: An achilles tendon injury hampered pole vaulter Eliza McCartney last year, so she couldn’t attain her usual heights and super smile factor. Let’s lose the tendon injury, and get the winning smile back. Always, the Commonwealth Games turn out to be a New Faces show with a medal-clutching beaming Kiwi working their way through TV sets into the nation’s hearts. Who will that be in 2018?
FOOTBALL: It’s World Cup year, so let’s get behind ... Iceland. With the All Whites not there, Iceland qualifies as the country most like Godzone. It has geysers, volcanoes, and bubbling hot pools. As well it has the Viking War Chant, which is pretty much a Scandinavian haka. Failing Iceland, it’s Peru for knocking out the All Whites, even if Germany will win as they are prone to do. Hosts Russia won’t win, as they always don’t.
TENNIS Come back Serena Williams, pretty please. After playing an exhibition in Abu Dhabi in December, three months after giving birth, Williams said: ‘‘I don’t know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet.’’ Fans are ready though, so, so, ready. In men’s tennis we don’t really want a new beginning, though it would be best if Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic were fit. If they’re not, then four Grand Slam finals featuring old stagers Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would be just fine thanks.
BOXING Boxing needs a new start. Reuniting the heavyweight belts would bring back some credibility. In this corner with the IBF, WBA and IBO belts, Anthony Joshua of Great Britain, in that corner WBO champion Joseph Parker of Neeeeeww Zeeeealand. Let’s get ready to rumble.
GOLF: Lydia Ko had a new start last season with a new coach and new clubs, and it proved a dog of a year by her standards - she got a new world ranking, 9 rather than 1. Watch her head in the other direction this season.
CYCLING: Nelson professional George Bennett was inside the top 10 on the 2017 Tour de France, then gastroenteritis let the air out of his tires. He won’t be there this year, instead targeting the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. He won the Tour of California last year - by the way George, the Italian word for winner is vincitore, while in Spanish it’s ganador. No need to say grazie or gracias.
MORE GOLF Tiger. Is. Back. Former world No 1 and winner of 14 majors Tiger Woods showed more than enough in his comeback after spinal surgery in December tthat he could again contend on the PGA Tour. He is 42, yet that would not put him among the 10 oldest golfers to win a major - Tom Watson made it to a playoff at the 2009 British Open, when he was 59. Prowl on Tiger.
BASKETBALL: Steve Adams has been in outstanding NBA form for Oklahoma City Thunder, double-doubling his way around the US. He’s third in the NBA on field goal shooting percentage. How about a place in the Western Conference squad for the 2018 NBA All-Star game next month then? That would be a first for New Zealand. Squads are selected by a combination of fan, player, and media voting. Get lobbying folks.
Roll on 2018. Let’s hope it is the Year of the Dog, and not a dog of a sporting year.