Renee Brown: partner of fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan. Met in 2012 at an Auckland bar where Brown worked. Photo / Dean Purcell
Renee Brown: partner of fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan. Met in 2012 at an Auckland bar where Brown worked. Photo / Dean Purcell
‘Tight-knit’ group speak of their excitement and pride in lead-up.
For a certain tight-knit club of fans, the call to back the Black Caps won't be just a patriotic duty - it will be a domestic one too.
Wives and partners of team members have spoken of how they'll be cheering on their men at Melbourne Cricket Ground when New Zealand faces off against Australia tomorrow.
Laura McGoldrick: Radio Hauraki DJ and TV personality. Met Martin Guptill during an interview for The Cricket Show and married last September.
Closest to the action will be Laura McGoldrick, long-time presenter of Sky TV's The Cricket Show, who will be on the ground at the MCG for pre-match and post-match coverage, while record-breaking husband Martin Guptill will be in changing rooms.
"But I will get to sit in the crowd at some stage, which should be cool," she told the Weekend Herald.
Ms McGoldrick described the wives, partners and families of the team as a "tight-knit unit" who got along well together and as far as she knew, no one had been left scrambling for hotel rooms.
"We are full of excitement and we are all really proud - in my mind, they've already won," she said. "Getting this far is fantastic, so I think all of the families feel we are just so proud of what they've achieved so far."
Ms McGoldrick, who met Guptill during an interview before the couple married at a star-heavy wedding in Auckland last September, understood there were no plans yet for a private post-match bash. "I'm sure something will happen. I think it would be good to acknowledge what the boys have done, all together."
Gert Smith: Primary school teacher in Tauranga. Met partner Trent Boult at a Hamilton bar while out with her cousin. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga primary school teacher Gert Smith will join the group with boyfriend Trent Boult's cricketing brother Jono and parents Ian and Wendy Boult. Having met the Kiwi quick two years ago while out at a Hamilton bar with former Black Cap cousin Daniel Flynn, Ms Smith was now preparing for what will be her boyfriend's biggest game yet.
She told NZME this week how Boult got "pretty nervous" before a game, but found support in two good luck symbols - the novel Shantaram, which he had read only a few pages of, and his late grandmother's necklace.
The other thing that really boosted Boult's performance, she said, was the crowd. "He really thrives off the crowd, the cheers, the support, it really does drive the boys."
As for herself, she had quickly learned more about the game over the past two years, and felt good when a new wife or girlfriend joined the group "as you don't feel that you are the new one".
She said she didn't mind the term WAG but said New Zealand wives and girlfriends didn't really think of themselves in that way. "It is not like it is all we do, we either are busy with families or have our own jobs."
Brya Fahy: One of the country's top make-up artists and partner of Tim Southee. Based at Cambridge salon The Sample Room. Photo / Dean Purcell
She was particularly friendly with Brya Fahy, the partner of fast-bowler Tim Southee, and the pair often phoned each other before a game "stressing about what to wear".
Ms Fahy, a sought-after make-up artist, flew to Melbourne yesterday morning, having booked the trip well before Tuesday's semifinal.
She said she doubted she'd have much time to spend with Southee before the game, which she would watch with his parents, Joanne and Murray.
"They'll be busy with training in the lead-up, but that will be fine with us girls - we'll find stuff to do over there, a bit of shopping, I'm sure."
Ellissa McCullum: New South Wales native and wife of skipper Brendon McCullum. The couple have three children. Photo / Dean Purcell
While organisers always found space for the players' nearest and dearest with prime spots at stadiums, she couldn't say whether it would be in a private box or in the stands.
"I haven't been to been to a Melbourne game, so I'm not sure ... but we'll just be happy to be there."
