Kiwis halfback Shaun Johnson needs to regain the form displayed during the Four Nations final last November. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Kiwis halfback Shaun Johnson needs to regain the form displayed during the Four Nations final last November. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Kiwis in curious position of being favourites.
Mark: This league test is icky. I mean, could it be we are the favourites? Surely not? Surely you could never place the Kiwis ahead of the Kangaroos in this annual Anzac massacre we normally suffer. I mean, we have not won one in, what, 15 attempts? And yet Ifeel if I don't back our lads as having the edge I am doing them a disservice. It feels quite disconcerting.
Andrew: Look at the spine of our Kiwis team. It's rock solid. Rigid. Like your hammies, but a little concerning is the form of the pairing of Kieran Foran and Shaun Johnson for their clubs but when they come together in camp, pull that jersey on, good things will happen. That Roos forward pack doesn't look as scary as it once did. Why aren't you talking Lydia Ko up more?
Mark: Because Lydia Ko does not need talking up because ma homie does all the talking herself. It's a done deal. Ko will become the most successful women's golfer ever and with that the most "winningest" Halberg recipient ever and there will be no discussion on that. Yeah, big call keeping the faith in Foran and Johnson so let's hope it is as they say and international footy is very different from NRL. But take it from me, Andrew, a skerrick of doubt going into an international match can be like an ember in a tinder. If worked on it will flame up and burn you. Actually a whole heap of doubt going into an ODI will leave you in the fetal position in the SCG toilets.
Andrew: The fact you mentioned Tinder is impressive although as inadvertent as you have been, I'm sure it's useful around large sporting events. The run home for the Hurricanes leaves me cold and possibly considering rolling up into the fetal position. With games left against every New Zealand team who wants a piece of them and still having to rest their All Blacks again means I'm hoping the Chiefs lose one of their four road games out of six. Have you looked at the permutations for the Highlanders?
Mark: There is nothing wrong with being fatalistic. Let yourself accept that yes, your lot may have cocked this up. In your effort to impress everyone and gain some sort of false hope you went out too fast in a race for early points and now you will find "the wall" will hit hard and it will hit early. The Chiefs will lose more than a game or two. As much as I like the McKenzie boys, you simply can't replace experience in the crunch stages and the Chiefs will leak through the hole that Aaron Cruden leaves. As for my Highlanders, they've proven that they can win on the road. This has been because over the past few years crowds haven't been that great at home. The Lions, Cheetahs and Force away are all very doable and also provide All Black resting potential and then when they return to New Zealand they will be playing more than spoiler when they play the Chiefs and Hurricanes and then use the Blues in the final round to improve their playoff position. The plan is coming together as I had intended.
Andrew: This sounds like how Pacquiao-Mayweather will be unfolding - digging deep for the reserves, hoping the conditioning is paying off, compartmentalising the pain and focusing on what's in front of you to win. What's been missing from this "fight of the century" is the lack of clear trash talk. There's no real need to hype the fight as the media are clamouring over them already but this has been eagerly anticipated but neither are at their peak and that is the nagging thought in the back of my mind. The only talk has been Mayweather commenting that he approached Pacquiao and said he wasn't getting enough of the projected $300 million or more share of the wealth.
Mark: Yes, this is all very concerning but not half as concerning as what is happening in the netball. Apparently the strength of NZ netball is dreadful. Apparently we began this transtasman concept to get better and we have not. Apparently the competition is flawed and we should be using its unfair advantage to New Zealand sides to succeed and yet we are not. The netball boffins are up in arms and talkback callers are calling for blood. This is a very concerning state of affairs indeed because - correct me if I am wrong - but the last time I looked we were the second best netball nation in the world and still are. So what's the problem?
Is this the fight of the century? I suppose it is. Let's face it the century is only 15 years old and I can't think of a more anticipated bout. Is this the best fight in 100 years? No, probably not. The battle of the marquee welterweights is tasty but no, it will not rival some of the great heavyweight battles from the halcyon days of the division. However you simply can't overlook all the peripherals of this fight; the purse, the Manny Pacquiao record of eight championships in eight different weight classes, the good vs evil factor given both boxers' backstories and the length of time we've had to wait for this fight alone. Yes, this IS big. Maybe five years ago it would have proved beyond doubt who is the best pound for pound fighter but, regardless, we are going to see who wins out of Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao. Who can say who would have won five years ago and we will always debate; but then again these two may just be meeting at very different times along their own boxing timelines. Could it be that we have a fair fight?
Manny Pacquiao during a news conference ahead of his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Photo / AP
This fight is the greatest of the last 20 to 30 years because it's drawn in casual sports fans to the hype. It doesn't mean they'll buy it, but they're interested. There is the same level of interest that there would have been back when these two boxers were supposedly in their primes. Sure, it's not Ali v Frazier or Foreman or Tyson, but this is the new age of access, coverage and opinion. It is breaking records with pay-per-view estimates, and the revenue generated from those, and people are intrigued to put one of the great modern rivalries in boxing to bed. Mayweather has controlled everything about this and made sure the only way he can lose is if Pacquiao lands a power punch that could floor him. It's unlikely because while Pacquiao lands 81 per cent of the power punches he throws compared to jabs, the southpaw is unlikely to trouble a defensive master prepared to defend initially and land a 60/40 mix of power punches and jabs. Basically, Pacquiao will struggle against a taller, evasive opponent with a 5-inch reach advantage whose trademark is patience.
