Chris Rattue:
Damian McKenzie — jinx or genius?
The French are coming . . . And by reputation, you just never know what to expect. One day brilliant, the other day not so much.
On a good day, unstoppable. On a not-so-good day, all over the place.
No, not the French. I’m talking All Black Damian McKenzie.
There is a lot of this story still to be written, hopefully. McKenzie could end up in the small pantheon of New Zealand footballing magicians, an imaginary hall of fame reserved for those players with the feet and hands to deliver on their wild imaginations.
Beauden Barrett, McKenzie’s supposed limitations as a match organiser, the rising Richie Mo’unga — there are hurdles for the exceptionally brave Chiefs wizard it must be said. But avowed McKenzie fans live in hope.
As for the Footballing Magicians Hall of Fame . . .
Few are called to this awards ceremony, and it’s a fanciful walk full of pitfalls. Cries of inconsistency and selfishness can fill the hall. Sometimes, on dipping into the hat, these players find the rabbit has gone. When their teams are dysfunctional, they cop the blame.
But as the Dutch football maestro Johan Cruyff reportedly said: “Winning is an important thing, but to have your own style, to have people copy you, to admire you, that is the greatest gift.”
Sometimes it is too easy to forget that concept (guilty here).
So here would be my first three inductees:
Benji Marshall
Numero uno.
At his peak, the greatest footballer I have seen.
Okay, his triumphs are heavily linked to club league, with the
Tigers in the NRL.
But there was also one particularly brilliant test performance, to beat Australia in the 2010 Four Nations final.
Marshall turned football on its head. The miracle passes were linked to a loping stride, often ignited by a bit of a hop.
The teenager turned an average Tigers side into the 2005 premiership winners, infusing them with startling achievements beyond their ability, and kept it up for a few more years.
You could turn on the TV every week almost certain of witnessing something unforgettable. It was stunning stuff.
The long run and reverse no-look pass for a grand final try against the Cowboys was emblematic of the ride Marshall took sports fans on.
“At that age, I was riding on whatever came to me,” he said later.
His courage in beating a series of major shoulder injuries should not be forgotten either.
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.
Carlos Spencer
The original. When it comes to the New Zealand rugby magicians, there is BC (Before Carlos) in which the year dot is 1993, when Auckland coach Graham Henry was wowed by the Horowhenua teenager during a huge Ranfurly Shield win in Levin. Nothing has been the same since.
From his sucker passes to bending the ball the wrong way with the boot, Spencer could do it all. He even chucked the ball between his legs for a Joe Rokocoko try against South Africa.
Would that legendary Blues team of the opening Super Rugby seasons have won the titles anyway? Maybe. But Spencer’s gifts turned it into a cinch.
When the magic man departed New Zealand rugby, his very different predecessor Grant Fox talked about Spencer’s flamboyant football being at odds with his shy nature.
“When he runs across the touchline onto the field, that is where he feels most comfortable, that is where he expresses himself best, that is where we can all see the joy he gets from his rugby,” said Fox.
Okay, so one famous World Cup pass went badly astray in 2003. Spencer was also slap bang in the middle of the baffling Auckland rugby decline, and often lost out to the more standard gifts which Andrew Mehrtens offered the All Blacks.
But I wouldn’t swap all that Spencer magic for anything. He changed two sports and only for the better.
Aussie league legend Darren Lockyer was among the many Spencer admirers.
Shaun Johnson
A feast for the eyes, even if it has been a famine for his Auckland Warriors league club.
Just where Johnson sits in terms of being the problem or a victim in a misfiring club is open to debate that doesn’t belong here.
This is about the sheer magic, for better or worse, and Johnson has it in spades. He’s also delivered a decent lump of it on the international stage. Extreme speed is Johnson’s big weapon, but he can also pull yet another move to leave defenders helpless. Johnson’s highlights reel is extensive and something to behold. As for being one of the greats . . . the Warriors need a couple of exceptional seasons to seal that deal. But whatever happens from here on, Johnson will be remembered for lighting up football games like no one else.
The next cab off the rank . . .
Damian McKenzie
Stay tuned (fingers crossed). I remain a believer.