Jason Pine ranks the top 50 footballers in New Zealand. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
Jason Pine runs through his latest edition of the All Whites power rankings.
50. (RE-ENTRY) Jack-Henry Sinclair (Wellington Olympic, New Zealand)
49. (NEW ENTRY) Oskar van Hattum (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)
48. (44) Deklan Wynne (Oklahoma City Energy, USA)
47. (43) James Musa (Phoenix Rising, USA)
46. (42) Elliott Collier (San Antonio FC, USA)
45. (49) Myer Bevan (Cavalry FC, Canada)
44. (46) Max Mata (Sligo Rovers, Ireland)
43. (47) Max Crocombe (Grimsby Town, England)
42. (41) George Stanger (Dumbarton, Scotland, on loan from Stirling University FC, Scotland)
41. (40) Callan Elliot (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)
40. (39) Ollie Whyte (Haka, Finland)
39. (38) James McGarry (Unattached)
38. (34) Storm Roux (Central Coast Mariners, Australia)
37. (35) Jamie Searle (Barnsley, England)
36. (NEW ENTRY) Finn Surman (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)
35. (31) Dalton Wilkins (Kolding IF, Denmark)
34. (45) Matt Gould (Altrincham FC, England)
33. (36) Sam Sutton (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)
32. (33) Ben Old (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)
31. (30) Cam Howieson (Auckland City, New Zealand)
30. (27) Nikko Boxall (San Diego Loyal, USA)
A victim of significant centre-back depth in the latest band of top New Zealand players.
29. (22) Andre De Jong (Unattached)
Missed selection for the latest tour, having been heavily involved in the twelve months prior. His task now is to find a new club and a way back.
28. (26) Joey Champness (Unattached)
After an impressive introduction to the national side pre-Christmas, his impact and involvement have fallen off considerably.
27. (32) Dane Ingham (Newcastle Jets, Australia)
Part of the 26-man squad for Peru and Costa Rica, but never seriously threatened the starting side with Niko Kirwan and Tim Payne preferred.
26. (28) Logan Rogerson (Haka, Finland, on loan from HJK Helsinki, Finland)
Selected ahead of Andre de Jong for this latest trip but had limited minutes and chances to shine.
25. (24) Francis de Vries (Varnamo, Sweden)
In the unenviable position of being the back-up to the exceptional Libby Cacace, but has jumped ahead of others who had designs on that role.
24. (15) Callum McCowatt (Helsingor, Denmark)
Illness stymied any chance of involvement against Costa Rica, but in reality, others have leapt ahead of him in recent months. Capable of moments of pure class but with a plethora of attacking options at Danny Hay's disposal, he'll need to take things up a notch or two.
23. (23) Michael Woud (Kyoto Sangate, Japan)
Left out of the latest squad for various reasons and will have to work hard to fend off others on this list for inclusion. At the moment, he's still in the top three New Zealand goalkeepers, but competition is fierce, and he needs consistent game time at club level, too.
22. (29) Ben Waine (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)
Leap-frogged other attacking options in recent matches and was used as an impact substitute against both Peru and Costa Rica. Appeals as the long-term successor to Chris Wood if his trajectory continues.
21. (20) Michael Boxall (Minnesota United, USA)
Has fallen down the centre-back pecking order, starting just one of New Zealand's last nine matches. Still supremely fit, even approaching his mid-30s, and still has a role to play moving forward.
20. (19) Tommy Smith (Colchester, England)
A consistently positive force around the All Whites camp with the experience of 12 years at international level. Now 32, but the lure of his next cap being his 50th will surely see him continue his career in the white shirt.
19. (14) Kosta Barbarouses (Unattached)
His 50th cap against Peru was followed by a forgettable night in Doha when a red card brought a premature end to his involvement. Has been in the All Whites environment longer than any other current player and hopefully has more to give.
18. (10) Stefan Marinovic (Nof Hagalil, Israel)
Now New Zealand's number two custodian with Oli Sail preferred for the big games here, but at 30 years of age, still has plenty left in the tank at the top level.
17. (25) Marco Rojas (Melbourne Victory, Australia)
Having only just earned a much-deserved recall, illness robbed New Zealand of his potentially game-changing talents off the bench against Costa Rica. How Danny Hay would have loved to have injected him into a match which needed some X-factor.
16. (12) Elijah Just (Helsingor, Denmark)
Looked bright off the bench against Costa Rica but only started two of the last eight games as competition for spots in the attacking third heated up. Time is on his side.
15. (9) Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)
Lost out to Niko Kirwan in the hotly-contested duel for the starting right wing-back role, but his versatility and heart will always be welcomed and valuable in the All Whites mix.
14. (6) Ryan Thomas (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands)
His ongoing absence can't help but make you fear the worst. Injury has wrecked the last two years of a player who is a generational talent, but can't seem to catch a break.
13. (8) Marko Stamenic (HB Koge, Denmark, on loan from FC Copenhagen, Denmark)
Looked oddly out of sorts against Peru, but from all reports was New Zealand's best player against Oman in the behind-closed-doors outing. Every inch an international talent who will don the fern regularly for years to come.
12. (18) Niko Kirwan (Padova, Italy)
Edged Tim Payne for the right wing-back role on the latest tour and put in whole-hearted performances to justify that selection. Described by Danny Hay as a "warrior', his diligent showings against both Peru and Costa Rica proved the point.
11. (21) Clayton Lewis (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)
His recovery from what looked to be a serious injury during the A-League season was as impressive as the impetus he added off the bench against Peru, earning him a start against Costa Rica. Has become a very composed footballer for club and country.
10. (16) Oli Sail (Wellington Phoenix)
Established himself as Danny Hay's first choice keeper for the biggest game in four years after just two outings in Oceania qualifying. A high profile error against Peru aside, he continues his ascent up the footballing ladder which will soon see him earn an offshore move, and many more caps for his country.
9. (17) Alex Greive (St. Mirren, Scotland)
A meteoric rise culminated in a starting spot against both Peru and Costa Rica for the Birkenhead product who a year ago couldn't possibly have imagined involvement of that significance. Energetic, committed and with plenty of room for growth. The future looks bright.
8. (11) Nando Pijnaker (Sligo Rovers, Ireland, on loan from Rio Ave, Portugal)
Preferred to Tommy Smith on the left side of New Zealand's back three and set to be a regular there for the next decade. His ability to rake diagonal passes from left-back to right-wing has caught the eye, combined with a steely defensive game and composure on the ball.
7. (7) Bill Tuiloma (Portland Timbers, USA)
Has established himself over the past year as an integral part of the New Zealand environment and an established starter in all the big games. His prowess at set-piece time is an added string to the bow of a very assured international defender.
6. (13) Matt Garbett (Torino FC, Italy)
What a 12 months it's been for a player who was originally left out of the New Zealand squad for the Olympics, but forced his way in, earned a move to top Italian club Torino, became a fixture in the All Whites and started against Costa Rica, all before his 21st birthday. The sky's the limit (and there's no way that was a foul).
5. (5) Sarpreet Singh (Regensburg, Germany, on loan from Bayern Munich, Germany)
His injury-enforced absence reinforced his value to the side. No other New Zealand player can do what Singh does creatively and an All Whites side with him in it immediately becomes more dangerous. Fans are keeping their fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.
4. (3) Winston Reid (Unattached)
Showed his value and commitment to the cause by soldiering on with a torn groin against Costa Rica. The one caveat to his continued involvement is finding a club at which to continue his career.
3. (2) Joe Bell (Brondby IF, Denmark)
Not quite as influential as he would have hoped in the intercontinental playoff, but still a rusted-on member of the All Whites' best eleven and a future captain of the side.
2. (4) Libby Cacace (Empoli FC, Italy, on loan from Sint-Truiden, Belgium)
Enhanced his burgeoning reputation with terrific showings against Peru and Costa Rica. His move to Empoli has elevated him to new levels of fitness and technical ability. Still just 21, but head and shoulders above anyone else in the left-back role with an unbelievable engine.
1. (1) Chris Wood (Newcastle United, England)
The All Whites' main man. An absolute colossus in the playoff against Costa Rica and a true leader within the group through his words and deeds. Unequivocally New Zealand's most influential footballer.
Chris Wood and his wife Emma have announced the arrival of their first child.