Time for cake, wine, and coveted 2018 Misnomers
Mark.reason@stuff.co.nz
2018 has seeped away for some, for others it has been blown up in a shower of gunpowder and bright colour. And yet here it is again, returned, back before us in the shape of the magnificent Misnomers.
Once again we offer up cake and fine wine to any of the winners who wish to accept their highly sought after prizes. The Misnomers are about sharing. We share your good times. And you share our cake and fine wine. You can’t say fairer than that.
Sportswoman of the Year – Anna Leat:
Yep, the goalkeeper of the Junior All Whites picks up the gong ahead of the likes of Joelle King and Eliza McCartney.
This is the year when the Misnomers celebrates ‘Youf’. The 17-year-old Leat seems a good deal more sensible than most of New Zealand’s senior football management. Is her ambition to be a professional footballer? Heck no, her long-term aim is to play in the Olympics. You know, represent your country, hang out at the opening ceremony, meet Rafa. All the things that matter.
But Leat also tops our list because she is a heck of a player. We like the fact Leat describes herself as ‘‘first attacker, last defender’’ and she is pretty good at both.
She is certainly a better ball striker than many in the team. You demonstrated that when she scored the winning penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out versus Japan. Right in the bottom corner. And note to coaches. If your keeper can take a decent penalty, he or she has an advantage over the outfield players because of a lack of tiredness in the legs.
Leat also has good hands, good positioning and is an athletic shot stopper. The suits made an utter mess of football off the pitch. It took a smiling teenager to restore our faith.
Sportsman of the Year – Wyatt
Crockett: Okay, okay, so Crockett may not exactly be a ‘youf’, but there is something about the 35-year-old that is forever young. Crockett would not claim to be the greatest prop to ever wear the black jersey. He was a bit too tall to ever get the best of the best, and spent much of his career scrummaging at a dubious angle.
But we celebrate Crockett because of who he is in the game. There is something about the man that reminds you of the days when rugby was played for fun and not because it was a business plan in some chief executive’s model rugby set.
Win or lose Crockett always seemed to have a smile and a handshake at the end of the game. Crockett seems to stand taller than the rest of us. Perhaps the supreme moment of his career was this year’s Super Rugby final. Crockett was left out of the squad in what coach Scott Robertson called ‘‘the hardest decision’’ of his career. After 202 Super Rugby games, a record, Crockett did not make the cut.
But there he was, every bit a part of the team, as if he had been playing. He supported them all week, and he supported them all match. He spoke to the team before the game and held back the tears. Was he disappointed? Of course he was. But the team came first. And for once it was true.
Crockett said, ‘‘Looking at it, it’s been a family to me for the last 13 years. I’m not leaving, I’m changing roles. I’ll become a fan.’’
Crockett finished his career by captaining the Barbarians to victory over Argentina. It seemed like the whole team played the game with a smile on its face, a memory of how rugby once was.
Team of the Year – Napier Boys High First XV: After all the venal nonsense about schoolboy rugby, the Misnomers celebrates a team that plays rugby for the right reason. Sir Brian Lochore and Wayne Smith, two of the most decent men in world rugby, spoke at the school’s fundraising dinner for their trip to South Africa. The boys each went on stage and thanked a sponsor. They each came to a table and conversed with the guests. Respect
both ways.
And although Napier didn’t have the most talent in New Zealand, not by a long way, they got all the way to the final of the national First XV Championship where they lost a thriller to St Peter’s 31-28. It was the game of the season.
Napier Boys High achieved through skill, discipline, decency, hard work and good values, but were edged by the extraordinary athletic ability of Niko Jones. His father Michael came over at the end and congratulated the Napier coach on the conduct of his team.
Coach of the Year – Joe Schmidt :A clever man and a decent man who keeps making the right calls on and off the pitch.
Captain of the Year – Kane Williamson:
New Zealand have not lost a test series since 2016 and have beaten England, Pakistan (away) and Sri Lanka in 2018. The younger players are establishing themselves. Senior bowlers are left out for tactical reasons and just get on with it.
The team talks to and thanks overseas groundstaff and officials. They are not up themselves, like the Aussies or some New Zealand teams of recent memory.
Through the strains of it all Williamson has maintained his own impeccable standards, and is currently at a career high test batting ranking.
I could do without the bouncer tactic, but otherwise this is a team in its captain’s image. Selfless, high achievers.