I’m not the first commentator to observe this, but it is really interesting how many good heats we’ve seen on the WSL World Tour so far, given that surf conditions have largely been rubbish.
Since a pretty ordinary opening in Hawaii, we’ve seen cold water closeouts (for the most part) in Portugal and an onshore washing machine (again for the most part) at Bells, yet so many careers and reputations are on the line, thanks to the looming mid-year cut, that more clashes than not have seen surfers making something out of nothing, surfing way above themselves because they simply had to if they wanted to survive.
Newcastle’s Jackson Baker is a classic example. A crowd favourite in his rookie year, Jacko is this year’s Matty Wilkinson or Wade Carmichael, an always-smiling everyman with a wife-beater mo, a pink board for a lost mum and one of the gnarliest cutties on tour. After three previous departures in the second round, Jacko was labouring way below the cut-line. To have any show of avoiding elimination after Margaret River, he needed to break the shackles at Bells, and that’s exactly what he did.
It was already apparent that Baker can really surf, he just seemed to lack the luck, the wave choice, and maybe the killer instinct. At Bells he turned all that around. He just kept coming, barely making it through, but making it. Already way beyond his previous best result at this level, he met reigning world champion Filipe Toledo at tiny Winkipop in the quarters. Halfway through the heat the WSL commentary team had written him off. Well surfed, Jacko, but you can’t beat the small wave master in two footers. Oh yeah!
First he got back in the heat with a couple of mid-range scores. Then, almost on the buzzer, he got one that lined up and he smashed it from takeoff to bare rock for a nine. In front, with the heat being counted down and Toledo needing a mid-to-high score. The Brazilian stood up right on the buzzer and milked a small one for all it was worth, but was it enough?
Toledo obviously had doubts, blowing up in two languages in front of a cameraman on the Winki stairs through the agonizing wait while the judges did their video comparisons. Toledo by a bee’s dick, Jacko out but shooting up the rankings, although still not safe.
I thought Toledo’s angry tantrum on the stairs said a lot about Australia’s growing strength on the world tour. The WSL commentators hosed it down as momentary anger directed at hometown judging, but I believe it was deeply personal, effectively questioning how a journeyman could even think he was worthy of competing against the mighty Brazilian Storm. How wrong you are, Fil, and I hope Jacko takes that memory on board as he continues his charge. Don’t poke the bear.
Australia dominated the pointy end at Bells with both finals all Aussie affairs for the first time in more than 30 years. Winners Ethan Ewing and Tyler Wright were outstanding throughout in all conditions, while runners-up Ryan Callinan and Molly Picklum fought hard and surfed above themselves. Molly has world champ written all over and plenty of time to get there. RyCal, another Newcastle peanut gallery favourite, continued the resurrection of his up-and-down career and looks unstoppable.
Now we’re into Margaret River and the final cut showdown.
Margies: Who needs what?
The Margaret River Pro, whose window opened yesterday (20 April), is the final showdown before the mid-season cut sends 10 men and six women back to the qualifying Challenger Series to battle to reclaim their spots on the main tour next year.
Post-Bells, 11 men (half the new field) have already qualified but right at the cut-line there is a huge cluster of major talent for whom every heat in WA is going to be a matter of life or death. Below them are an equally talented number of surfers who basically need a miracle. Chief among them is the GOAT himself, Kelly Slater.
One-time world championship contender Kolohe Andino is even lower than Slater and has basically put up the white flag, telling an interviewer that at 30, he’s looking forward to the Challenger Series. He needs a third place to qualify. By my calculations Kelly and Barron Mamiya need a fifth or better. None of this is impossible. Given a pumping finals day at The Box, Slater could win the thing, even at 51.
Moving to the cut-line cluster, Jackson Baker and Burleigh’s Liam O’Brien probably need a ninth or better. Kanoa Igarashi should get home if he gets past the elimination round, along with Italo Ferriera, Seth Moniz and Ian Gentil.
In the women’s, only Molly Picklum and former world champs Carissa Moore and Tyler Wright have already made the cut. Eight-times world champ Steph Gilmore and our own Isabella Nicholls need at least a ninth, while Sally Fitzgibbons, Brisa Hennessy, Courtney Conlogue and Lakey Peterson probably need to make the quarters to be safe.
The swell forecast looks fairly promising for a start this weekend. Let the Hunger Games begin!
FOOTNOTE: Tewantin’s Coco Cairns just can’t be stopped this year, taking out the Ma and Pa Bendall Memorial Pro at Moffats over Easter, alongside Indo charger Oney Onwar winning the men’s. Keep it up, Coco!
