Speaker 1: Well, go to Football Fever News Talky, Hello that and
Speaker 1: welcome into Monday. Welcome into a fresh episode of Football Fever.
Speaker 1: Sorry we missed you last Monday. Neither of us were available.
Speaker 1: We are very much available today and I think that's
Speaker 1: a pretty good thing, given the fact that the Premier's
Speaker 1: plate now lives in Old Doto on New Zealand on
Speaker 1: Jason Pine, Bonnie Jansen. Can you believe it, Bonnie? The
Speaker 1: Premier's plate is now on the side of the.
Speaker 2: Tasman champions Pioneer. Honestly can't believe it. It hasn't really sunk.
Speaker 2: And yet it was an awesome night in Auckland last night,
Speaker 2: and so happy that the Auckland FC got to celebrate
Speaker 2: the Premier's plate win on home soil. But yeah, just
Speaker 2: can't believe it at all, really, but so stoked it
Speaker 2: fell this way.
Speaker 1: Yeah, very happy for everybody involved. Will unpack it. But obviously,
Speaker 1: in terms of the nuts and bolts, they were confirmed
Speaker 1: as premi years on Saturday night when Melbourne City and
Speaker 1: Adelaide United drew Millall at Amy Park. That meant that
Speaker 1: Melbourne City, who were the only team who could have
Speaker 1: caught Auckland f C could not now catch Auckland f C.
Speaker 1: So just before midnight on Saturday night, the destination of
Speaker 1: the Premier's plate was confirmed. I asked Steve Corky yesterday
Speaker 1: actually whether you know how he was watching that game.
Speaker 1: He said he went to bed at halftime in that
Speaker 1: game and then he got wake up about an hour
Speaker 1: label the whole bunch of messages saying we've done it.
Speaker 1: So I've been talking about like i'd be. I don't know,
Speaker 1: I don't know what to be. Maybe it's you know,
Speaker 1: they probably knew they were going to adventure either win it,
Speaker 1: you know, on Saturday night, or win it on Sunday.
Speaker 1: And I also asked him, I said, would you have
Speaker 1: preferred if Melbourne City had won kind of kept the
Speaker 1: pressure on so that there was a result needed yesterday
Speaker 1: at go media to sort of confirm it, you know,
Speaker 1: you do it under your own steam. And he said, no,
Speaker 1: not a single bit of me. Hope that I wanted
Speaker 1: us to win it on you know, as early as possible,
Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean it kind of made yesterday. It
Speaker 1: was as an old occasion, was that the game actually
Speaker 1: wasn't a wasn't a classic? Was it?
Speaker 2: No? I was worried that since they won it going
Speaker 2: into that head of that game, that maybe they would
Speaker 2: start a second team and rest some of their good players.
Speaker 2: And I was worried about that fat because I knew
Speaker 2: that it was there or thereabouts a sell out. I
Speaker 2: think they missed by about five hundred seats and that
Speaker 2: would have been down to the weather. But I was
Speaker 2: worried that maybe they wouldn't go all in because they
Speaker 2: didn't necessarily need a win. However, I was hoping that
Speaker 2: wouldn't be the case, and I don't think that was
Speaker 2: at all. I wanted them to go for it for
Speaker 2: the fans, for themselves, you know, and maybe it did
Speaker 2: take a little bit of weight off their shoulders that
Speaker 2: they didn't need a result, they could play with a
Speaker 2: bit of freedom, and I think they did, and I
Speaker 2: think on another day they would have won that game
Speaker 2: four or five nil, but obviously just couldn't break that
Speaker 2: deadlock for a while.
Speaker 1: They absolutely dominated, You're right, twenty eight shots to four.
Speaker 1: Twenty eight shots they had. I can't I can't remember
Speaker 1: Auckland f C having that many opportunities in a game.
Speaker 1: And I felt for Max Mautter because a lot of
Speaker 1: them fell to him, and you know he was only
Speaker 1: just off target with a couple of headers. Oli Saul
Speaker 1: came up with a couple of big saves. On another night,
Speaker 1: Max Mutter probably has two or three goals even by halftime.
Speaker 1: But you always thought they were going to find a
Speaker 1: way to score. I just didn't think it would be
Speaker 1: Marley friends whoa scored direct from a corner.
Speaker 2: No, I completely agree Piney. I have said this before
Speaker 2: on the podcast. I'm still not sure whether I rate
Speaker 2: him in the starting lineup or not. I feel like
Speaker 2: there's possibly some other personnel that could be in there
Speaker 2: over him. And I didn't actually think he played that
Speaker 2: impressively up until that goal. But you know, you win
Speaker 2: games in big moments, and he certainly got up for
Speaker 2: that one. I was interested as well in the first
Speaker 2: half and in that second half why he was taking
Speaker 2: the corners over the likes of Jake Brimmer and Francis
Speaker 2: Devrees who have been so good from those spots. So,
Speaker 2: I mean he pulled it off the end there. But yeah,
Speaker 2: it was interesting.
Speaker 1: Because at one point Francis went across to the other
Speaker 1: to that side because they like to have the n
Speaker 1: swinging corners right, so so Frannie goes over and takes
Speaker 1: them from the right wing to swing it him with
Speaker 1: his left and they use a right foot on the
Speaker 1: left to swing him with their right foot. And one
Speaker 1: stage Frannie went across to take one on the other
Speaker 1: side and he bent it behind it went out for
Speaker 1: a goal kick. So yeah, the set piece delivery was
Speaker 1: probably left a little bit to be desired until Marley
Speaker 1: Franz while swung that win in. Just as I was
Speaker 1: about to do an in deb with him on Sky
Speaker 1: last night, Jake Brimmer came up behind me and said,
Speaker 1: make sure you tell him that nobody here thinks that
Speaker 1: he meant to do it.
Speaker 2: I mean, does anyone mean to do that taking a
Speaker 2: corner if you can shoot every time from there, like,
Speaker 2: good on you. But I don't think it's on purpose.
Speaker 2: But what a way to win a game. I think.
Speaker 2: One of the reporters in the press conference afterwards asked
Speaker 2: Steve Coriker if he's ever seen a game win with
Speaker 2: an Olympic a goal like that, but Steve Kraker said no,
Speaker 2: so yeah, it was unrealmed.
Speaker 1: Well, I saw some reports last night. I saw someone
Speaker 1: posted that it was the first ever goal direct from
Speaker 1: a corner in the A League. I don't. I mean,
Speaker 1: that seems that can't. I know, there's been a few
Speaker 1: in the women's A League. Maybe this season, yeah it
Speaker 1: did say the first ever. Well I can't believe that.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's gone twenty years. Surely somebody's scored direct
Speaker 1: from a corner. Maybe it was this season, maybe it
Speaker 1: was this season. Anyway, the fact remains one Nell. You're right,
Speaker 1: he's just trying to put it into a dangerous area
Speaker 1: and it just and Oli Saard, who otherwise had a
Speaker 1: really good game, just misjudged it. Nobody at the back post,
Speaker 1: they seem to have modern day tactics, seems to have
Speaker 1: dispensed with the defender at the back post. There was
Speaker 1: always somebody there in my day, BONDI don't know about you.
Speaker 1: There's always somebody at the back post for you know,
Speaker 1: for occasions just like that. But you know, well, it.
Speaker 2: Looked like I think it was Max Mutter defending that
Speaker 2: Perth Glory player that he may have given him a
Speaker 2: bit of a shove, and you could see Perth were
Speaker 2: kind of arguing that fact. And I was a little
Speaker 2: bit worried that maybe it would go to var but
Speaker 2: obviously not meant to be. I thought the officiating was
Speaker 2: quite good last night. A Perth were putting in some
Speaker 2: big tackles, but there were moments that the refs just
Speaker 2: let it play.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and the wet always a little bit. There's always
Speaker 1: a bit of trepidation around some of the challenges flying
Speaker 1: and the last thing anybody wanted was an injury, especially
Speaker 1: I mean Auckland f C Perth seasons just about over,
Speaker 1: but an Auckland FC player, you know, suffering about injury.
Speaker 1: Nanda Pinneker went down near the end and he let
Speaker 1: out a heck of a yell as he went down,
Speaker 1: and I thought, man, what's he done. Luckily got back
Speaker 1: to his feet and he was okay. But you know,
Speaker 1: imagine getting all the way through the season to the
Speaker 1: final couple of games and then getting an injury that
Speaker 1: ruled out of the finals.
Speaker 2: Well that's why I thought maybe Steve would rest players.
Speaker 2: You know, you definitely don't want the likes of Hiroki
Speaker 2: or ap and Goal or anyone like that getting injured
Speaker 2: ahead of the finals playoffs, but insane that you can't
Speaker 2: live in fear. And I thought it was really interesting.
Speaker 2: I guess I'm looking forward here. But when Coraker said
Speaker 2: in the press conference that he's not planning on resting
Speaker 2: many players next week in their final game against Western United,
Speaker 2: just simply because that would mean three weeks in between
Speaker 2: you know, last night's game and then their first semi final,
Speaker 2: because they obviously have to buy when the elimination finals happening.
Speaker 2: So I thought that was interesting, you know, maybe he
Speaker 2: would I would probably as a coach not want any
Speaker 2: of my key players getting injured. But at the same time,
Speaker 2: you don't want to lose that momentum that they've built up.
Speaker 2: What now, fourteen games unbeaten.
Speaker 1: I reckon if you ask any of the players they
Speaker 1: want to play as well. I know it's not their decision,
Speaker 1: but yeah, I think they'd rather say, how we're going
Speaker 1: to rest you next week and then we'll get you
Speaker 1: ready for the first leg of the semi Yeah, you're right,
Speaker 1: three weeks, no game for three weeks. There's nobody who's
Speaker 1: in yellow card danger. At this stage of the season.
Speaker 1: You need eight yellow cards. If someone's on seven and
Speaker 1: they pick up one next week, they would miss the
Speaker 1: first week of the finals. But the most is Louis
Speaker 1: vus Strata, who last night picked up his sixth the
Speaker 1: yellow cards, so even if he got one next week,
Speaker 1: that wouldn't rule him out and only have seven and
Speaker 1: then they clear the slate for the finals. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: think momentum is important, and you know it's that fourteen
Speaker 1: games now unbeaten. The last thing you want to do
Speaker 1: is to have that streak broken as your head into
Speaker 1: the finals.
Speaker 2: Yeah. No, exactly right, that's what Steve said, and he
Speaker 2: doesn't want to give them too much rest and saying that,
Speaker 2: I think we will see some personnel change. You know,
Speaker 2: we saw the likes of Liam Gillian get on finally
Speaker 2: towards the end, finally got some minutes after what was
Speaker 2: it back in January, I think we discussed Piney, so
Speaker 2: Gillian was back. So maybe someone like him will get
Speaker 2: a start or at least come on at halftime, and
Speaker 2: we might see a little bit more movement, you know,
Speaker 2: in the back line or some of those wider squad
Speaker 2: players that haven't featured really much at all. So I
Speaker 2: hope that's the case. You know, maybe we might see
Speaker 2: Michael vaut in between the sticks or at least for
Speaker 2: a half. I think that's kind of what you want
Speaker 2: to do and yet give some of the other boys
Speaker 2: an opportunity while also hoping to keep momentum because if
Speaker 2: they win it next week, you know, just increases that
Speaker 2: gap at the top of the table and makes all
Speaker 2: the other teams a little bit more scared.
Speaker 1: I guess. So what it does do as well the
Speaker 1: break is it gives him a chance to get Felipe
Speaker 1: guy gos Right. He's the only real first teamer who's
Speaker 1: got an injury cloud hanging over him. Didn't make the
Speaker 1: squad last night and was never going to by the
Speaker 1: sounds of it, was really just on light duties during
Speaker 1: the week. I doubt they'll risk him against Western United.
Speaker 1: Why would they. He's a guy who they can recover
Speaker 1: surely well.
Speaker 2: Coraker said last night that he's looking to actually be
Speaker 2: back for that game. Whether he'll start or not, I'm
Speaker 2: not sure. Maybe he'll travel to see how he goes.
Speaker 2: The other one Coraraker said who has been we're not
Speaker 2: mentioned at all basically all season is Scott Galloway, who's
Speaker 2: had a season long injury. But even Coraker said it's
Speaker 2: looking like he'll be back towards the end of the
Speaker 2: finals playoffs. So that's another name we haven't heard of.
Speaker 1: It a while yeah, he hasn't hasn't had much go
Speaker 1: as way at all. I'd be lucky if he's had,
Speaker 1: you know, five or six appearances. I think just having
Speaker 1: a check now four four appearances off the bench for
Speaker 1: Scott Galloway. So yeah, he's really played quite a minor
Speaker 1: role this season. But every coach would say to you,
Speaker 1: I want a fully fit squad to choose from at
Speaker 1: the business end of the season. So by the sounds
Speaker 1: of it, that's what Steve Coreck is going to get.
Speaker 1: What about the occasion, Ah, you know, once the game
Speaker 1: was over and the final whistle, wean just the elation
Speaker 1: in the crowd, but also down on the field. A
Speaker 1: lot of these guys. Tommy Smith said afterwards, I've never
Speaker 1: won a club trophy. Louis Vastrata said during the week
Speaker 1: he's never won a club trophy. This is the first
Speaker 1: time many of those players have ever lifted a piece
Speaker 1: of silverware, and it was just so obvious how much
Speaker 1: it meant to them and everybody associated with the club.
Speaker 2: It was such I Piney, you and I were down
Speaker 2: there on the pitch after the game, and yeah, you're right,
Speaker 2: you could just see how much it meant to the players,
Speaker 2: and I love how they did a walk around the fans,
Speaker 2: who you know, so impressed with the twenty five thousand
Speaker 2: that came out in like the pouring rain basically, and
Speaker 2: the ones that lingered around afterwards for signatures would have
Speaker 2: been sitting there and standing there in damp clothes. But
Speaker 2: I loved how the players walked around the pitch afterwards
Speaker 2: and left that kind of trophy lift to the porch
Speaker 2: right at the end, which they normally do. Yeah, it
Speaker 2: was such an occasion. And one player I was particularly
Speaker 2: really happy for. I thought it was really sweet watching
Speaker 2: his emotion and celebrations was Alex Paulson. I think he's,
Speaker 2: you know, had it real tough. Probably he didn't expect
Speaker 2: to be here at Auckland f C. Having to go
Speaker 2: up against his old club was probably naturally really hard
Speaker 2: for him, and he just looked so over the moon
Speaker 2: and so relieved. And yeah, it was celebrating with Marley
Speaker 2: Frantz a lots. They must be really good friends.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think they're boys, those two in the young
Speaker 1: person's vernacular. Yeah, I think they're boys. Yeah. I saw
Speaker 1: a lot of photos actually of Alex Paulson and Marley
Speaker 1: Francois celebrating together.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Look, I must admit when Alex Paulson signed for Auckland FC,
Speaker 1: I was not a fan of it. I thought, how
Speaker 1: is this going to improve him? He's already the best
Speaker 1: goalkeeper in the A League. This was when he was
Speaker 1: at Wellington Phoenix. He signed for Bournemouth. He's comeback. You
Speaker 1: did that great article last week with all the numbers
Speaker 1: about the kilometers he traveled between Wellington and Auckland and
Speaker 1: he went all the way to the other side the world
Speaker 1: and came back. And I thought, he's been there, done that.
Speaker 1: How can another season improve him as a goalkeeper? I
Speaker 1: was wrong. Another season has improved him. He is a
Speaker 1: better goalkeeper now than he was a year ago.
Speaker 2: So much better for him and I think this one,
Speaker 2: you know, makes it so much more worth it for him.
Speaker 2: Maybe he won't look back on this season as you know,
Speaker 2: in regret or disappointed. Now he will be able to
Speaker 2: look back on it and you know, have a title
Speaker 2: to his name, and he's played such a massive role
Speaker 2: in this club as well. You know they've conceded the
Speaker 2: most the least goals rather twenty three. I think it
Speaker 2: is across the season which makes him the best the
Speaker 2: best team defensively. So I think the streak was was
Speaker 2: ten games without conceding at all. So yeah, it's he's
Speaker 2: done so well. And you know, Steve Croker's said this,
Speaker 2: he won't be here next season and that's okay, he's
Speaker 2: ready to move on. But yeah, good on him. I
Speaker 2: was just so happy for him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so was I.
Speaker 1: So was I, And you're right it would have been
Speaker 1: a challenging time for him. Once he got through the Derby's,
Speaker 1: the first couple of them home and away, I think
Speaker 1: it was it was going to be okay after that.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I think he's He's carried himself with a
Speaker 1: lot of dignity and all he can do is play
Speaker 1: for the team he plays for. And I know those
Speaker 1: guys who play in front of him just absolutely love
Speaker 1: having Alex Paulson behind them, you know, the like Sernando
Speaker 1: Dan Hall, even more experienced guys like Sakai Investrata. You know,
Speaker 1: they wouldn't have known Alex Paulson from a from a
Speaker 1: bowl of soup when they arrived. You know, I wouldn't
Speaker 1: know who he was. They know who he is now.
Speaker 2: Yeah, No, I think whatever team he goes to. Will
Speaker 2: be lucky to have him, and you know whatever that
Speaker 2: is he needs to be playing. I understand it's the
Speaker 2: Scottish club hips, which I keep getting mixed up with
Speaker 2: the boys' school in Lower.
Speaker 1: Hut different hips. He's not going back to school, which
Speaker 1: is probably a good thing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, No, so he'll be lucky to go off there.
Speaker 2: But hopefully he turns up for these playoffs, which I
Speaker 2: have no doubt he will.
Speaker 1: He will indeed. Yeah, it was good. It was a
Speaker 1: cool occasion, just the vibe of it, watching the plate
Speaker 1: being lifted, watching all of the players and their partners
Speaker 1: come down. A lot of their kids. Rocky Sarkis kids
Speaker 1: were out there, so were Tommy Smith's. Jake Brimmer was
Speaker 1: really emotional afterwards when we interviewed him. His dad has
Speaker 1: not been well diagnosed with motor neuron disease. He's got
Speaker 1: his two daughters back in Melbourne. Who you know, he
Speaker 1: had to leave there to come and play for Auckland FC.
Speaker 1: He's a pretty tough character, Jake Brimmer. But yeah, just
Speaker 1: tearing up a little bit at the end, which I
Speaker 1: thought was another demonstration of just what this club has
Speaker 1: quickly come to mean to guys who have been around
Speaker 1: for a long time. Hiroki Sarko, he's been to three
Speaker 1: World Cups. He looked like an eighteen year old out
Speaker 1: there last night lifting that plate.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was so happy. I just think that the
Speaker 2: personnel in this group have been really like, you know,
Speaker 2: all the characters, they've been such great people. And that's
Speaker 2: just from my perspective interviewing them. I can't speak for
Speaker 2: the opposition that have come up against them and anything
Speaker 2: like that, but just the way we've seen and discussed Piney,
Speaker 2: them interacting with fans and you know, interacting with us
Speaker 2: as media, I think they've all been really really good
Speaker 2: people and it shows on the field, you know. So
Speaker 2: I don't know who's to think for that, whether that's
Speaker 2: the likes of Nick Becker CEO or Steve Coriker, but yeah,
Speaker 2: they've all got great personalities. But I did just get
Speaker 2: off the phone with Nick Becker who said the celebrations
Speaker 2: continued deep into the night.
Speaker 1: I bet they did. Where do you go on a
Speaker 1: Sunday night?
Speaker 2: Though Danny Dolan's Pinny of course, from very familiar with
Speaker 2: that place. It's basically the only place open on a
Speaker 2: Sunday night, But it's great. It's a great Sunday night
Speaker 2: if you go there. And I will quote Nick Becker,
Speaker 2: he said, we all got Danny Doland. He said all
Speaker 2: roads led to Danny Dolan's. After the game, basically the
Speaker 2: players all went up to the Black Night Lounge on
Speaker 2: the we stand at GO Media Stadium, where they all
Speaker 2: kind of celebrated with family and staff and friends. And
Speaker 2: then I believe a group of staff and coaches went
Speaker 2: to Andy Mo which is a really lovely restaurant on
Speaker 2: Jurvoice Road in Herne Bay, which is owned by Bill
Speaker 2: Foley's Hospitality Group. So they went there. Well, the players
Speaker 2: went to Young People's Bars. I'm not sure exactly where
Speaker 2: that was, and then I think all the staff and
Speaker 2: players ended up meeting maybe at Danny Dawance.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 1: I did hear Nick Becker on the air with Mike
Speaker 1: Hosking this morning at around seven fifteen, and he basically
Speaker 1: admitted that on a scale of one to ten on
Speaker 1: the Dusty Scale, he was an eight. He might have
Speaker 1: been been quite kind to himself. He kept on. He
Speaker 1: was wheezing during the interview, but I mean it would
Speaker 1: have been worth it. I see b fronted up on
Speaker 1: TV this morning as well. See that's it. You have
Speaker 1: a lot of respect for people. Dan Hall was on
Speaker 1: TV too well.
Speaker 2: I think I understand Dan Hall was picked possibly to
Speaker 2: go on TV not only because he's a great personality
Speaker 2: and speaks well to the media, but he actually doesn't drink,
Speaker 2: so that's probably why he was picked for the media
Speaker 2: because his celebrations maybe didn't continue on as much as others.
Speaker 1: All Right, good to know, Good to know, or a
Speaker 1: couple of other things about Auckland FC. So they play
Speaker 1: Western United away this coming weekend and when would take
Speaker 1: them to fifty six points for the season. I did
Speaker 1: a quick check and that's more than the Minor Premier
Speaker 1: has got in any of the last five seedeasons, so
Speaker 1: it would be an another landmark for them. Then, of
Speaker 1: course they have a bye in the first weekend of
Speaker 1: the finals, as the teams that finish three, four, five
Speaker 1: and six play one another in a knockout in two
Speaker 1: knockout matches, then home and away semis. Now we know
Speaker 1: that the home semi will be on Saturday, the twenty
Speaker 1: fourth of May. That has been confirmed that the home
Speaker 1: semi will be Saturday, the twenty fourth of May. Kickoff
Speaker 1: time is yet to be confirmed, unlikely to be five o'clock.
Speaker 1: I think it's more likely for the Australian audience that
Speaker 1: it will be a seven o'clock or seven thirty kickoff.
Speaker 1: But definitely the twenty fourth of May. If they make
Speaker 1: it through that they're into the Grand Final. If they
Speaker 1: make the Grand Final by virtual of finishing top, they
Speaker 1: will host the Grand Final. And there's a bit of
Speaker 1: conjecture still around about where that final would be. I
Speaker 1: was having conversations with people over the weekend about this.
Speaker 1: Some people are adamant that it will be played at
Speaker 1: Eden Park, Others are equally adamant that it will be
Speaker 1: played at go Media Stadium. Now, just before you and
Speaker 1: I have a chat about this, I had Nick Becker
Speaker 1: on the radio yesterday and asked him, you know, would
Speaker 1: he like to have it at go Media or will
Speaker 1: it be at go Media the Grand Final if Auckland
Speaker 1: were to make it, I certainly hope.
Speaker 3: So I don't actually get the final call on it.
Speaker 3: I've given my input and a legally great at listening
Speaker 3: and taking our point of view on board. Ultimately it's
Speaker 3: their call. They managed the whole final series. I'd be
Speaker 3: fingers cross and I'd certainly hope to see it at Gometa.
Speaker 3: It's been our home ground all season. That's where we'll
Speaker 3: play our semi final, and definitely the players and in
Speaker 3: my seniens of all the fans want to be there
Speaker 3: as well.
Speaker 1: So from the club's point of view, unsurprisingly they want
Speaker 1: it there. Apl who run the league take the ticket revenue.
Speaker 1: Therefore they want are going to want to have it
Speaker 1: at the biggest capacity ground possible. I think it would
Speaker 1: be an enormous shame if they played it at Eden Park.
Speaker 2: I don't think it would be an enormous shame. I
Speaker 2: think it would be a shame given well, they've hosted
Speaker 2: at Mount smart Or season long and the fans just,
Speaker 2: you know, continuously, you know, great numbers. But I just
Speaker 2: have a feeling it's going to go to Eden Park,
Speaker 2: and I don't think that will be all that bad.
Speaker 2: I just hope that it sells out. It would be
Speaker 2: embarrassing if they move it there and it doesn't sell out.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I get the and people have said, Okay, well,
Speaker 1: why wouldn't you want to open it up to forty
Speaker 1: five thousand people. I get that, But watching a game
Speaker 1: at Eden Park of any football code, rugby, football, rugby league.
Speaker 1: You're so far back, you know. The shape of the
Speaker 1: ground for a start is wrong for you know, for
Speaker 1: a game of sport on a rectangular field. The other
Speaker 1: thing that comes into this, Eden Park is already booked
Speaker 1: on the Saturday night of King's Birthday, the Blues have
Speaker 1: a Super Rugby game there, so that would mean that
Speaker 1: the Grand Final would have to be played on the Sunday.
Speaker 1: That's not without precedent, that could happen, but that's another
Speaker 1: little little layer of it in there. And the other
Speaker 1: thing is last year the Central Coast Mariners hosted the
Speaker 1: Grand Final and Gosford only holds I think about twenty
Speaker 1: two to twenty three thousand less than go Media. The
Speaker 1: other part about that, though, of course, is that Gosford
Speaker 1: that's the only place they could have had it in Gosford.
Speaker 1: Otherwise they would have had to go down to Sydney,
Speaker 1: and there's no way the Mariners would have agreed, you know,
Speaker 1: and thank APO would have forced it upon them to
Speaker 1: go down to Sydney for that game. It's ninety minutes away.
Speaker 1: So yeah, it's still to be decided. I really hope
Speaker 1: it's at go Media that I get what you're saying, Bonnie,
Speaker 1: I understand, and I think, you know, maybe I'm almost
Speaker 1: certain they would sell it out if they held it
Speaker 1: at Eden Park. I just feel like it would be
Speaker 1: I don't know, like I said, yeah, maybe not a
Speaker 1: great shame. I would much prefer it to be at
Speaker 1: GO Media.
Speaker 2: I'd love to hear from the players. You know, as
Speaker 2: a player, there's nothing more that you want to play
Speaker 2: at the biggest stadium possible. You know, you can imagine
Speaker 2: players in England or any football as any footballers dream
Speaker 2: to play it at Wembley. So you want to play
Speaker 2: at the biggest stadium. And maybe that's the case for
Speaker 2: a lot of these players to you know, want to
Speaker 2: take that next step and sell out Eden Park. But
Speaker 2: at the same time, you don't want to. You don't
Speaker 2: want to change what ain't broke. You know, they've done
Speaker 2: so well, they've been so successful at GO Media, and
Speaker 2: that's exactly why Nick Becker will be pushing to stay
Speaker 2: at Go Media, obviously for the fans, but probably more
Speaker 2: so to not not change routine and not change what's
Speaker 2: been so successful.
Speaker 1: Indeed, just to look at who they might play in
Speaker 1: the playoffs, because there's still a real battle on for
Speaker 1: finishing second, which is obviously gives you the advantage of
Speaker 1: missing the first week and then you know into the
Speaker 1: home and away semi final situation. At the moment, Melbourne
Speaker 1: City are second on forty five, Western United have forty four,
Speaker 1: Western Sydney have forty three and Melbourne Victory have forty two,
Speaker 1: so any of those four teams could still finish second.
Speaker 1: So we're not going to know until after Sunday's game
Speaker 1: between Melbourne Victory and Newcastle, the final game of the
Speaker 1: A League regular season, what the makeup of the top sixer.
Speaker 1: So there's probably not a lot of point in us
Speaker 1: kicking around possibilities because you know we're just going to
Speaker 1: get down a rabbit hole there. The other one is
Speaker 1: sixth place, the battle for six. Adelaide are currently sixth
Speaker 1: with thirty eight points, but they're all done. They've got
Speaker 1: the buy in the last week. Sidney FC are on
Speaker 1: thirty seven, so if Sydney FC can avoid defeat against
Speaker 1: Melbourne City on the weekend, they will take sixth place.
Speaker 1: But Melbourne City will want to beat SYDNEYFC because that
Speaker 1: would ensure that they finished second on the table, so
Speaker 1: Adelaide United will be massive Melbourne City fans on the weekend.
Speaker 1: So yeah, that's all to come. And yeah, by the
Speaker 1: time we speak on the podcast next Monday, we will
Speaker 1: know the makeup of the top six and therefore the
Speaker 1: first round of the playoffs. Well, after all the excitement
Speaker 1: of last night four hours previously, such a stark contrast
Speaker 1: to go media at sun Corpse Stadium, the Wellington Phoenix
Speaker 1: played Brisbane Raw absolutely abysmal pitch. I've got no idea
Speaker 1: how they're allowed to play on that by the sounds
Speaker 1: of it. It's getting relayed this week because they've got
Speaker 1: NRL Souper around there this coming weekend. But the pitch
Speaker 1: was terrible. The game was a really tough watch and
Speaker 1: I don't really want to spend too much time talking
Speaker 1: about this to be honest. Brisbane had thirty shots to
Speaker 1: Wellington six. This is the Brisbane Raw team who have
Speaker 1: been one of the worst teams in the league this season.
Speaker 1: You know, had played midweek Wellington Phoenix with nothing to lose. Really,
Speaker 1: they weren't going to make the top six. They had
Speaker 1: an opportunity to get out of the bottom four, which
Speaker 1: means they spare themselves the trip to Darwin for the
Speaker 1: Australia Cup playoffs in May. They were just I just
Speaker 1: thought they were so passive. The only bright spot was
Speaker 1: when Luke brook Smith and Nathan Walker came on. They
Speaker 1: added a bit of impetus. Brisbane got a goal first
Speaker 1: win at home for Brisbane all season and the first
Speaker 1: clean sheet that their goalkeeper Matt Acton had kept for
Speaker 1: four or five years. I just it was just, I mean,
Speaker 1: the sooner this Wellington Phoenix season finishes, the better.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you can have said it better, Piney. I'm firstly
Speaker 2: really happy for Brisbane. It sounded like a great game
Speaker 2: for them, but just an absolute yeah. Quite embarrassing really
Speaker 2: that we're here. You know, when thinking back twelve months ago, Piney,
Speaker 2: when you and I were exchanging messages about you know,
Speaker 2: them heading into the semi final and who they're going
Speaker 2: to play and will this you know, grand Final be
Speaker 2: hosted in Wellington or where will it be? Like it's
Speaker 2: just a stark contrast and it's a real shame that
Speaker 2: I've gone from where they were to where they are now.
Speaker 2: You have to put the question there. You know, was
Speaker 2: re signing chief Ye as coach last week a good idea.
Speaker 1: Well, whether or it was or not, I guess we
Speaker 1: will find out. I know that there was a huge
Speaker 1: amount of displeasure on Saturday after that game online from
Speaker 1: Phoenix fans some of the stuff I read, and I
Speaker 1: tend to stay away from online fan reaction, but I
Speaker 1: just wanted to sort of test the water really to
Speaker 1: see what people were thinking. And you know, I think
Speaker 1: John Carlo and Taliana, you know, I do like the
Speaker 1: idea that you don't just throw a guy out after
Speaker 1: one bad season if he's had a very good season
Speaker 1: the previous season, a year ago, Bonnie top of the Pops,
Speaker 1: John Calo, Ataliana, you know, untouchable pretty much and a
Speaker 1: candidate for Coach of the season. But twelve months on,
Speaker 1: you know, things have moved on, and so now I think,
Speaker 1: you know, he has to probably show us pretty early
Speaker 1: on next season that that things are on and up
Speaker 1: with trajectory, because you know, that game on Saturday was
Speaker 1: in a pretty crowded field, was one of the worst
Speaker 1: performances of the Phoenix season.
Speaker 2: And that's the thing, you know, it's this time and
Speaker 2: the time of the year where they should be rallying. Yes,
Speaker 2: it is hard to pick yourselves back up when you
Speaker 2: look at your your little big brother up up north
Speaker 2: kind of doing so well. But you know, they've had
Speaker 2: a disastrous season and they should be rallying. They've got
Speaker 2: nothing to lose, like, there's there's no reasons they can
Speaker 2: they shouldn't really be allowed to just kind of put
Speaker 2: their heads down. It's not a great attitude. And you
Speaker 2: do wonder if maybe there's a bit of discontent to
Speaker 2: a bit of unhappiness in the camp, and you know,
Speaker 2: potentially players upset with the fact chief he is staying on.
Speaker 2: I'm not sure that's full kind of speculation, but you know,
Speaker 2: you can just tell with the players that they don't
Speaker 2: seem very happy to be there, and it is hard.
Speaker 2: It is hard for them to you know, pick themselves
Speaker 2: back up after the season I've had. But they also
Speaker 2: this is their job, this is their career. They paid
Speaker 2: for it, they paid full time, good money a lot
Speaker 2: of them as well, and they owe it to the fans.
Speaker 2: You know, if I'm not happy with my job in
Speaker 2: a normal workplays, i can't come in and just be
Speaker 2: angry and not perform the whole time. So yeah, it
Speaker 2: is very interesting.
Speaker 1: Yep, it's a very interesting dynamic. They finish their season
Speaker 1: this coming Friday against Perth Glory who will stay over here.
Speaker 1: Actually just on Perth Glory, I thought they were pretty
Speaker 1: decent last night for Perry to that game. I think
Speaker 1: they'll back themselves to go down to Wellington and get
Speaker 1: a win down there, you know, to finish their very
Speaker 1: very disappointing season as well. So yeah, but that game
Speaker 1: will spell the end of the Phoenix this season. Then
Speaker 1: they've got to play in the Australia Cup playoffs in
Speaker 1: Darwin in the middle of May. By virtual finishing in
Speaker 1: the bottom four. We won't know where they finished until
Speaker 1: after this coming weekend or who they'll play, And then
Speaker 1: I guess it's a look ahead to next season and
Speaker 1: there's a bit of work to do in terms of
Speaker 1: the squad. Just quickly, there are seventeen players already signed
Speaker 1: for next season. Corbyn Piper has reported they also signed
Speaker 1: an extension, so that's eighteen. Cost of barbarusis we don't
Speaker 1: know if he's staying or you know, a year ago
Speaker 1: be like why would I leave now? From what I'm hearing,
Speaker 1: he's just not entirely sure about staying. But if he does,
Speaker 1: that's nineteen Giraldi is if they can convince him to stay,
Speaker 1: which I hope they do, will be twenty. So there's
Speaker 1: very little room for freshening the squad. Only one import
Speaker 1: spot would be available and only a couple of other spots.
Speaker 2: That's where they've really themselves down this season with the
Speaker 2: imports and the signings. I feel like there's going to
Speaker 2: need to be some hard conversations had and potentially some
Speaker 2: mutual terminations of contracts and things like that, because they
Speaker 2: need to have some good signings if they're wanting to
Speaker 2: keep up with other teams next season. You know, you
Speaker 2: compare it to Herwaukland have signed and they've absolutely nailed it.
Speaker 2: And yes, you don't get it right every season, but
Speaker 2: when you've got a group of young players who aren't
Speaker 2: up to the standard as the young local players last season,
Speaker 2: you know you've got to bring in some bigger, bigger names,
Speaker 2: bigger talent. So yeah, what I would like is this
Speaker 2: week when Perth Glory come over for Olie Sale, just
Speaker 2: to have a little chat with Chiefy about him possibly
Speaker 2: making the move back.
Speaker 1: I hadn't even thought of that. I think if i'm
Speaker 1: Oli Saler, I'm probably staying put because I know Perth
Speaker 1: have been very bullish about what they're going to do
Speaker 1: next season. We know they're getting Scott Wotton and Sam
Speaker 1: Sutton for starters. You know, those still be able to
Speaker 1: have a chat with their new boss.
Speaker 2: At some state is differently happening.
Speaker 1: Well, it hasn't been announced, Bonnie, but it's the worst
Speaker 1: kept secret in Wellington football that they are both going
Speaker 1: to Perth glory. Yeah, so I think we can safely
Speaker 1: assume that is the case. So I just you can't
Speaker 1: have your imports sitting on the bench. You know, it's
Speaker 1: a very obvious statement, I know, but they went to
Speaker 1: you know, they with Josh Olaway emy they decided to
Speaker 1: make the change and put Albi Kelly Heald in goal.
Speaker 1: The only reason they didn't stick with it was because
Speaker 1: he got injured. You cannot have an import on the bench,
Speaker 1: you know. It's they have to find a way either
Speaker 1: of upskilling Josh alawaymy so he is the number one
Speaker 1: or or you're right extricating themselves from the contract and
Speaker 1: freeing up the spot. Nagasawa probably the same. You know,
Speaker 1: hell of a nice guy, good footballer, but you know
Speaker 1: you can't be sitting on the bench. If here import
Speaker 1: Ahiga maybe has got a bit more about him. But
Speaker 1: the filter I always used with imports, and ironically enough
Speaker 1: Wellington have normally got them right. They've had some brilliant
Speaker 1: imports over the years, some really good overseas players. But
Speaker 1: the filter I always uses, which would they make most
Speaker 1: other A League teams? And Scott Wooden probably would the others.
Speaker 1: I'm not so sure.
Speaker 2: And didn't you say last night to me Pinneer that
Speaker 2: chief he used to be in charge of the imports.
Speaker 1: That was his recruitment was recruitment was a sweet spot.
Speaker 1: So you have to say, look, he's a good recruiter.
Speaker 1: He found Oscars Nevada, he found bosh at R Krajev.
Speaker 1: None of us had heard of those guys, and look
Speaker 1: at what they did for Wellington, brilliantly brilliant acquisitions. So
Speaker 1: he's just he's just unfortunately that they the recruitment hasn't
Speaker 1: hasn't hit the mark with the imports. And as you say,
Speaker 1: as soon as you compare it to Walklands, Giziomo, mai
Speaker 1: Hiroki Sakai, Louis Vastrata, Felipe, Guy Goss and Nada Moreno
Speaker 1: pretty much five home runs right there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean all we've got a hope for Pioneers.
Speaker 2: They just right off this season. They you know, do
Speaker 2: something that to not lose, you know, keep the fans
Speaker 2: on their side, see out, you know, play in this
Speaker 2: Australia Cup or whatever it is, and you know, give
Speaker 2: the young guys a run and then chief year, I
Speaker 2: think we'll have a bit of a wake up call.
Speaker 2: He'll know that this season has been extremely poor. He'll
Speaker 2: know he's not done well with the recruitment and you
Speaker 2: know he's he's probably learned a lot from Aukland NEFC
Speaker 2: and maybe they give him a bit more drive for
Speaker 2: next season.
Speaker 1: We can only we can only hope. Let's see how
Speaker 1: it plays out. Just finishing today with the Wellington Phoenix Women,
Speaker 1: who have finished their season in ninth place on twenty
Speaker 1: four points, we know there's a new coach coming in
Speaker 1: Paul Temple will be leaving after a couple of seasons
Speaker 1: in charge, not able to get the team into the
Speaker 1: top six. We also know that Annale Longo will be
Speaker 1: leaving the club. She announced her retirement from club football
Speaker 1: after the last last game at Pottdoor Park. Rather than
Speaker 1: relitigate too much of the women's team. I think we've
Speaker 1: done it pretty much over the last couple of months
Speaker 1: as far as you know, the lost opportunities and inability
Speaker 1: to score goals and went home games and that sort
Speaker 1: of thing. Let's finish on a high with our Wellington
Speaker 1: Phoenix Women's Awards, shall we. Now you've come up with
Speaker 1: three that you want us to or you wanted me
Speaker 1: to pick a winner. Four you've obviously done the same.
Speaker 1: The first one is MVP. I'll go first, here my MVP.
Speaker 1: It won't surprise you. Bonnie as Annalie Longo, I think, yeah,
Speaker 1: I know, it's such a surprise. I've been a huge
Speaker 1: fan of her this season. I think she's been the
Speaker 1: driving force behind the side, the shining star in their team.
Speaker 1: So she's my MVP.
Speaker 2: Nice. It was tough for me to pick between her,
Speaker 2: but I've actually gone with Carolyn Bidlao. I've been a
Speaker 2: big fan of hers and goal in between the in
Speaker 2: between the sticks. I think, yeah, she kept the Phoenix
Speaker 2: in it a lot, especially at the start of the
Speaker 2: season and also in the second half the season when
Speaker 2: they were losing narrowly. So yeah, I really really like her.
Speaker 1: Okay, player to keep is your next one? You go
Speaker 1: first on.
Speaker 2: This, also saying Carolyn vill Lao. I'm not sure what
Speaker 2: her contract status is, but I'd really like to see
Speaker 2: her stay. I think she was that shining light other
Speaker 2: than Analie Longo this season, and yeah, she seems to
Speaker 2: enjoy it there. I hope maybe with a new coach
Speaker 2: coming in and a better season, they'll be more competitive.
Speaker 1: I had her written down as well, but I've gone
Speaker 1: with Maya McCutcheon, who I think was one of the
Speaker 1: better players going aroun fund the A League women's competition.
Speaker 1: Played every game, sat at the base of the midfield,
Speaker 1: was versatile enough to also play in defense if needed.
Speaker 1: Maybe didn't quite contribute as much an attack as we
Speaker 1: hope that she is a defensive midfielder, so yeamya McCutchen
Speaker 1: would be the one who I'd be looking keeping. But yeah, val,
Speaker 1: if they can keep Carolyn, I allow, I'd be happy
Speaker 1: with that as well. And rookie or breakthrough player of
Speaker 1: the season. I have gone with Lara Wall for this. Yeah,
Speaker 1: out of out of basically amateur football in christ Church.
Speaker 1: You know she she was still held down her job
Speaker 1: when she was up here structural engineer, I think she
Speaker 1: was or something similar. So yeah, but I thought she
Speaker 1: was excellent, you know, came into that left back spot
Speaker 1: and really played well, didn't look out of place. Was
Speaker 1: being talked about a Football Fern's conversation. So Lara wall
Speaker 1: is my rookie or breakthrough? Who did you have?
Speaker 2: That's a good one, pioneer. I was gonna I kind
Speaker 2: of want to change to her. I thought she was.
Speaker 2: She was awesome. Can kind of compare her to a
Speaker 2: Mickey Fosser or a Francis Devrezo have been so good
Speaker 2: domestically for so long, And yeah, she came into the team,
Speaker 2: did very well. But I actually had written down Manaia
Speaker 2: elliott I thought she's been in this setup for a
Speaker 2: wee while and on the Football Ferns radar. But I
Speaker 2: feel like she's grown up a little bit this season,
Speaker 2: a little bit wiser. She's back in that that Football
Speaker 2: Ferns mix, and I think, yeah, the next few seasons,
Speaker 2: I feel like she's she's going to be a star.
Speaker 2: Maybe if I were her, I'd be looking towards other
Speaker 2: opportunities overseas.
Speaker 3: Yep.
Speaker 1: I agree that she has had another or has had
Speaker 1: a good season and is as well worthy of your vote.
Speaker 3: There.
Speaker 1: The official Wellington Phoenix Awards night actually is next Tuesday,
Speaker 1: so we'll find out who wins the official awards for
Speaker 1: both the men and the women. Maybe next Monday on
Speaker 1: the pod we can have our men's award winners. Whether
Speaker 1: we go with MVP player to keep Rooky will breakthrough
Speaker 1: or some other award categories I guess remains to be seen.
Speaker 1: This time next week we'll also know the makeup of
Speaker 1: the top six from the A League men's competition. So
Speaker 1: I think that's us done and dusted for today.
Speaker 3: Is it? Yeah?
Speaker 2: I think so. Piney, bring it on a bring on
Speaker 2: the finals, Bring.
Speaker 1: On the finals. We'll see you next Monday.
Speaker 3: This is football fever.