What are you willing to do in the pursuit of sporting success, for a shot at a world title?
In the case of the men’s and women’s teams representing New Zealand at this summer’s IFAF Flag Football World Championships, the first answer and unavoidable challenge is to undertake a round trip of almost 34,000 kilometers.
Nobody will travel further to Finland than the Kiwis this summer while absorbing multiple demands, and this on top of the almost 18,000 km covered to participate at the IFAF Asia-Oceania tournament last summer. They will also have to adapt to the summer heat in the northern hemisphere after months of winter conditions back home.
“The biggest hurdle for us is a financial one, but also the logistics of travelling and the time needed to adjust to time zones and ensure our athletes are acclimatized and ready to hit the field come the first snap,” explains men’s head coach Shiraz Soysa. “It’s thirty-plus hours of travel time from Auckland to Helsinki alone, not including getting to and from the airports.
“That said, we’re all excited to be part of such an event, and to get to Finland in a few months. We’re also immensely grateful for the support provided to us by (federation) NZAFF. It has already eased the burden on the team as a whole.”
It was in Malaysia last year that New Zealand announced themselves to the flag football world, with medals the reward for both teams’ commitment to the sport.
Under coach Soysa, New Zealand’s men – nicknamed NZ Mako – produced the shock of the Asia-Oceania tournament at the semifinal stage in one of the most thrilling games witnessed in Kuala Lumpur. A 40-33 win, in a game that saw multiple lead changes, halted the juggernaut that appeared to be heading towards the gold medal, previously unbeaten Japan.
In the championship game, despite throwing everything they had remaining in the tank at the quest for gold, NZ Mako were edged 31-25 by a relentless Thailand team. New Zealand had announced their arrival on the continental stage with a warning that the now 12th-ranked team in the world will pose a threat in Lahti this summer.
The Kiwis led 13-6 at halftime and were then held at 13-13 and 19-19 before seeing a 25-19 lead reeled back in with two minutes remaining as torrential rain drenched all within the EV Arena Shah Alam. Not until the final play of the game were New Zealand finally beaten and despite the heroics of some the stars who had emerged, their reward was the silver medal. Commentators on the live broadcast had compared regular touchdown scorer Jack Preston to James Bond, such was his ability to produce the goods when the odds were stacked against his team, but even 007 couldn’t have changed this dramatic outcome.
Since that success, Ariel Metekingi has been appointed defensive coordinator for the NZ Mako for this summer’s campaign and the focus has turned to the club season and finding ways to build on the performance in Malaysia.
The Kiwis are currently in their selection process to determine the final 12 players who will head to Finland, along with establishing a development team, with a second camp taking place this weekend.
New Zealand’s women faltered in their debut game of the Asia-Oceania tournament, though a close loss to hosts Malaysia might have ended in a draw but for a catch made agonizingly out of bounds late in the game. Wins over the Philippines and India secured second place in the group and a quarterfinal match up with Thailand, who after an overnight rain delay were beaten 53-20.
The semifinals presented the ultimate challenge against a Japan team blazing its way to the gold medal and a 42-14 defeat presented an opportunity for revenge for that opening game loss against Malaysia. The event hosts were duly beaten 20-13 and the Flag Ferns returned home with the bronze medal and 15th place in the 2023 IFAF Flag Football World Rankings.
Since that success in Kuala Lumpur, New Zealand has named both an Aotearoa Flag Ferns squad for the IFAF Flag Football World Championships and a development team, known as Wahine Toa, which together make up the High-Performance Unit (HPU). This HPU has completed one of four planned camps, with one-day regional and team training happening in-between.
Defensive Coordinator has moved up from the assistant coach role held in Malaysia on Ethan Clark’s squad. Following the club season for contact and flag, culminating in the club flag national championships, trials started in lead up to the nationals, with the tournament the last chance for potential squad members to impress.
Photo: @umarshafiz
