Football Fever with News Talks MB's voice of Football, Jason Pine and Bonnie Jensen. Hello that welcome into the start of a new week and to a fresh episode of Football Fever, where we discuss all things to do with New Zealand football, the Wellington Phoenix, or the Left c men's and women's international games and anything else that drops into our football consciousness. We being me Jason Pine and you Bonnie Jensen. Get a Bonnie.
Yoder Piney, how are you good?
Thanks? What an occasion at go Media on Saturday? Can we talk about the occasion first before we get to what happens between the White Lions twenty seven thousand and nine turning up there on Saturday a new regular season record for a club game here in New Zealand's beautiful day. Crowd absolutely loved it, and probably mainly because it was six to one on the field, but what an occasion to be a part of yet again, Yeah.
It's just absolutely crazy and hearing all of that back, Piny, just goosebumps come back to me. It was incredible. I was lucky enough to not be working this time and just soak it up and enjoy it as a fan, And yeah, what a spectacle it was, you know, and obviously the match was great because there are a lot of goals.
Yeah, a lot of goals to enjoy. And I think probably because of the size of the crowd a lot of people went for the first time on the weekend. You know, there've been crowds a sort of fourteen fifteen thousand, so I know they have had a couple of salouts, but I'm sure there were you know, a few thousand there on the weekend who had never been before. Imagine if that was your first game, you might you've probably you think is it like this every week? Yeah?
Exactly. A few of my family members actually went for the first time and they were just saying, wow, what an occasion. You know, you don't get sporting events like this very often in New Zealand. And you know, I think with the Super Rugby Pacific that's back now, the Warriors will be starting up soon. Auckland f C really set a standard of what sporting occasions should be like in New Zealand. And that doesn't take away from the Phoenix and what they've done down at their club in Wellington,
you know, over the past decade or more. But you know, they just know how to put on a show. Auckland nefcy on and off the field, and I think they should be really proud of how they hosted that third third Derby.
And I think you also have to give huge kudos to Auckland's fans and in particular the port. They are the act of support. They lead the way as far as being raucous and boisterous and completely one hundred percent committed, standing for the whole game, chanting, singing, you know, hurling, abuse, all that sort of stuff, and I think everybody else takes their lead. They arrive and even if they're not sitting in the port, even if they're somewhere else, they go, oh, okay,
so that's what we do here. We actually can't just sit here and watch the game. We have to involve ourselves in it.
Yeah, and it's really easy to involve yourself in it. You know, I'm speaking personally. You know, I'm from Wellington, I grew up in Wellington. I'm meant to be a neutral supporter, and I am, you know, as someone who works in this industry, but it's so easy to kind of fall in love with how these fans go about it and their chants and their culture. You know, it
was awesome. I was sitting on the other side of the stand but looking down at the port and they had opened up that second tier, that second level on the south stand and just jam patch. You know, it was the place to be on Saturday afternoon down in the port.
All right, we've held off talking about the football for long enough. Let's talk about the football. Utter demolition job by Auckland FC. I don't think anybody really saw this coming. I'll hold my hand up totally high and say I did not see this coming at all. In fact, I've picked a Wellington Phoenix win by a goal to nil. If I'd been asked for a second choice, I would have said, okay, a similar margin in favor of Auckland FC. I thought this was going to be a cagey encounter
where one goal would separate the two sides. But well, and actually it looked like that for half an hour. It was nil all after thirty minutes, then Nat Mdino with a couple of goals in quick succession, Logan Rogerson scoring before halftime. All of a sudden, it's three nil and the game has really, to all intents and purpos has been taken away from Wellington. But then Luke brook Smith came on at halftime scored three to one, youngest ever Phoenix goal scorer. More on him in a moment.
But then Nadal Madona scored his third, Auckland's fourth, Logan Rogerson another goal. Jesse randall right at the end six to one? Did anybody right next to you? I think you said to me, didn't you? On the podcast last week you thought it might be like a what were we talking about Arsenal and Tottenham, the two women's teams, and it was a five nil and you said you predicted something similar, so you had.
It bang on Piney. You asked who predicted a game like this? And I ain't it. I did have it bang on. We asked Michael Burgess as well, who's a senior football writer for the New Zealand Herald. He also predicted a KG affair like yourself. But I had it right. I picked a high score game in favor of Auckland FS, and I'm pretty proud of that. I think I think
they're just too good, you know, the Phoenix. I find it so hard to criticize them at the moment because there's so much stuff they could be doing, but they're just so young, so in experience, and then their experienced players, you know, returning from from long term injuries. I didn't expect it to necessarily be six to one, but yeah, I wasn't surprised when Auckland made the statement they did.
The only I think the only reason was a couple of reasons. I was reticent about it about, you know, agreeing with you. Look, if it had been a normal one v ten then yeah, that's different. But Darby's, as we've said often, you know, are one off occasions. The other part was that Auckland FC haven't really torn anybody apart this season. They've won a lot of games, but they haven't won a lot of games by a lot of goals. Now they have. They absolutely took Wellington to
the Cleaners twenty four shots to the Phoenixes eleven. Now, Bonnie, only eight of Auckland FC shots were on tart had six of them went in.
This is an example of how they've learned their lessons. You know, at the start of the season, not even that long ago, Piney, we were talking about how we're a little bit concerned by the lack of goals they're scoring. It's also quite ironic how many times we mentioned on this podcast how we're not too sure about natea Madena.
I think both of us can take that back. I feel really bad about that, but I think the thing is is, you know, as you say, Piney, anything can happen in a derby match, and it form does go out the window. But it showed that one side showed up for the match and the other didn't. And regardless of how the Phoenix season has gone so far, I don't think they showed up at all.
I think they had a couple of small periods, and they were small periods across the ninety minutes. I think the first five to ten minutes they were probably as proactive and as you know, on the front foot as they have been at the start of a game all season, because they've been very passive from the start in many games. You know, they there was a very early chance from a free kick that Paulson tipped over from a Shiga.
The second period was the period straight after halftime, and they'd injected Alex Ruffer, that injected Luke brook Smith and also Nathan Walker, so clearly actually something they're three kneeled down, and I think when Luke brook Smith scored and it was three to one, there was just a period there where Auckland looked a bit shaky. But apart from that, you know, Auckland completely dominated the game. You're right about Moreno, I mean, the the guy has just become this cult hero.
Do you know, though, that Logan Rogerson is claiming Moreno's second goal, he thinks Logan Rogerson thinks he's got a hat trick. I think the official word is still that Nada Moreno has, but Modano's second one that he fires through a crowd of bodies, it does actually hit Rogerson on his hip and goes in. He's claiming it. Rogerson reckons he's got the hat trick.
In the match ball oh classic. I actually missed that. I just Nada's first and second goal were almost like a carbon copy of each other, that kind of side foot strike that he put into the back of the net. But that that is interesting, And you know, I kind of thought as well. I felt a bit bad for someone like Liam Gillian who had done so well and impressed for so long. But you can't pull Logan Rogerson off.
You can't pull Nadar off when they're scoring machines right now, saying with Max Mutter and Gmo My.
It's funny with my, isn't it. If you said at the start of the game, maka Auckland will get six today, you were thought, ok, well, how many is my gonna get? Didn't get any, Marta didn't get any. What about Logan Rogerson's second goal though, what a goal that is.
Remind me Piney there were so many got it? Wow?
The long shot from outside the area?
Ah, yes, that's right, Yeah, yeah, unreal. He was good. Logan Rogerson has really impressed me. I remembered thinking back at the start of the season how he probably wasn't going to keep that starting spot. But he's Yeah, he's hustled, hustled away for that and he's really really, really good defensively, I think as well tracks back with his player. But yeah, to fire shots away, like you say, like that one is what you need from Ford.
I think you say. I think what you say is absolutely right in terms. That's the most competitive part of the squad I think is those attacking players who support Gizmo Mai. I think my players every week, he's the one who's going to play every week, and he deserves to as well, because he has been tremendous, But it's those positions in and around him where there is real competition. And you mentioned Liam Gilly and he played almost, you know,
every single game to start the season. But I actually can't remember the last time that we saw Liam Gillian out there. I'm just is she going to check my statusy? He hasn't played the last five games.
No. Yeah, I think as a real shame for him, and I would like to see him get another run because he was obviously he was obviously a great player, just hadn't found the back of the neck yet and he's kind of been punished for that, but I think equally that was the way the whole team was playing back at the start of the season when Liam couldn't find the back of the net. So I would love to see him get a run now when they're starting to gell a little bit more and see if maybe,
you know, it opens something up for him. Obviously, we saw Jesse Randall as well get his first goal on the weekend. He's another one, you know, another young player that's that's impressing and equally contending for one of those forward spots.
Yeah, and you know Marley Francois is there as well at the moment. So yeah, it is crowded. Not everybody can play. But if you ask Steve Coriker, he'll be like, well, that's exactly what I want. I want, you know, competition for places. There's so much so that he didn't even have to start. Louis Vastrata, one of the you know, one of, if not the standout player for Auckland FC this season, suspended for the game against Western United last
weekends through yellow cart accumulation. I just assumed that he would come back into the side, that he's the type of player who actually it doesn't matter. They say you shouldn't change winning team, but it's Louis via Strata, so he plays. Clearly that's not the case.
Well, your piney. We asked Steve Coker that the day before in the pre match press conference. I remember asking, you know, you are playing the tenth the tenth side in the A League. Is this an opportunity to kind of take your foot off the gas and maybe play, you know, rotate the team a little bit, And he said, no, no, we want to play our strongest team. We asked about Louis va Strata and he was ready and fit, so
it was interesting that he didn't start him. And I actually thought he was on the field for the first thirty minutes or so until I realized. But I mean, yeah, it's proving the incredible depth that they've got.
We had Steve Coracker on the radio yesterday the day after the game, and I said to him, look, if you're not changing a winning team after winning two nil, then surely you can't change your winning team that's won six to one. You can't bring the Strata back in if you use the same rationale. But he said something like a week's a long time in football or something like that. So look, I think louisvis Strata's two good a player to leave out he you're starting eleven for
too long. Even when he came on, I mean, he's basically dispossessed. I think it was Tim Pain for Logan Rogerson's second goal. He just does what he does, mops up, gets the ball, gives it to one of his mates and sets them off in forward motion. So I mean, I'm not picking the team, but if I was, I think i'd demonstrate her in there. But Steve Corickan might have might have other ideas. So Adelaide lost to Western United yesterday, So Auckland FC and now eight points clear
with nine games to go. If they beat Adelaide on Saturday, and given the way they're playing and how mediocre, if we're honest Adelaide were yesterday and losing to Western United, they will be eleven points clear. Surely they can't be caught with only eight games to go.
Yeah, that's actually crazy. I think they're winning it a poney. I actually think they're going all the way, which is a very very real possibility. And Auckland fans, New Zealand Football fans probably sadly sorry, Wellington Phoenix fans, everyone's going to prepare for this because it's coming.
I think they'll win the regular season. That seems now to be mathematically the most likely outcome, especially if they beat Adelaide on the weekend. If Adelaide were to win, they close the gap up to five points. That's a different conversation, but you know, hypothetically speaking, if they were to be eleven points clear of they games to go,
they're probably going to finish top. Then we reached the final series and by finishing top or in the top two, they avoid the first round of finals, the three four, five six knockout games, home and away semi final, and then a home final. I think if they were to host the final, they would be extremely difficult to beat at home.
I forgot there as well that they do play a home and away semi and that really plays the advantage of Auckland FC. Not that it probably would have mattered anyway because they are going to finish top likely and host that regardless. But that's the thing. They're so so
hard beat at home. I mean only Western United were the ones to do it, and quite significantly, but they learned from that and I think they've just shown they can win in big moments, which will come be extremely handy when it comes to playoff football.
Nanto Pineker interesting incident involving him very early in the game, only only the second minute, when he's come across and he has absolutely poleaxed Corbyn Piper on the edge of the Auckland FC penalty area. Free kick correctly given, yellow card given out. I've seen a couple of angles of this in the time since. I actually think Nando Pineck is very very lucky, not to get a red card for that challenge.
Was it a foul on Corbyn Piper one hundred percent? Yeah, but it went the other way.
No, no, no, when he in Phoenix is why they got the free kick? Yeah yeah no so so Pinaker has has just collected him, cut him in half. So free kick to Wellington and only a yellow card. John Collotaliana on the sideline is going spare and like I say, I saw some angles yesterday which I didn't see during the broadcast, and he has absolutely collected him right up by his waist with his foot raised. He's actually quite lucky not to get a red card.
I'm gonna have to go back and watch that party. I remember the incident happening, but I don't remember it being a big deal. I remember we were arguing in the box because a lot of us thought, you know, Logan Rogerson's first goal was offside.
Yeah, yeah, that's that is another talking point. And it looked offside from the from the angles we saw on TV. Again, var sees things that we don't see, and they drew the lines on the pitch and it looked to me as though Lucas Kelly Heeled's heel was keeping him on side or something like that. But yeah, it's a different story, isn't it. If we're letting go on at two nil down not three nil, come back and score that goal after the break and it's two one, we might be
having a slightly different conversation. I still think Awklandly FC would have won the game, but yeah, there was a There are a couple of moments, the other one with Pinaket because he got the yellow card, and then in the same I think, yeah it was. It was in the first half, Costa Barbarusis has kind of got a bit of space around halfway and he's looking to set off and Pindeker looks to put an arm across him
and hold him back. Now, no free kick given, so you know, no yellow car but that on another day could have been a second yellow. So I think Nando's been lucky a couple of times.
Yeah, they didn't really go to var much for a memory and that at all, did they. I remember as well that Max muttergo right at the start that got ruled out for a push in the back. There were quite a few controversial moments.
Yeah, that was a push in the back and the referee grabbed that one didn't need var But yeah, look, you can say as much as you like about these incidents, it wouldn't have affected the result. Auckland FC were by far the better side. Let's talk a little bit about Wellington Phoenix though, because for them now this is a real test of their character. How much will this affect them?
It will affect them a lot, you know. I felt like I could, I could feel the pain, especially for those senior players like Tim Payne, who you know, made a silly ara to result in in Logan Rogerson's second goal. Obviously Alex Ruffe didn't start and he would have been gutted about that, and I just feel like it's not what they needed. They probably didn't expect to win at all on the weekend, but they would have expected a
much tighter match. Obviously didn't play that way. And now they see their big little brothers up in Auckland going on to lightly win the league do what they haven't been able to do, and how long, what you know, do something that they came so close to achieving last season, And yeah, it must it must really hurt, and I think they're going to have to be trying to pull something out for the next bit of the season.
I think they now have to take their eyes of Auckland FC, don't they. They don't have to play them again, they have to somehow, and you're right it would be hard looking up the road and seeing what's happening at Auckland f C. But they have to try and just ignore that. They can't do anything about what Auckland f C are doing. Now all they can focus on is themselves. You know. They We've talked about this a lot. They've
been a good defensive side all season. They were the third best going into the weekend and then somehow managed to ship six goals and some of the goals I mean Logan Rogerson's goal might have been a touch of our side about it. But he is completely unchallenged at the far post from you know, and I know Francis Devreese has got us one and with his do you whip him with his left or might have not even been Francis Devreese. But you know, Wellington Phoenix know that
Auckland f C put crosses in. How on earth they've left wrote Logan Rogerson free at the far post is completely beyond me. The you know, the sixth goal by then you know they're just waiting for the game to end so they can get off the grass. But Auckland to see a toying with them in the penalty area, you know, my and Elliott and then Randall's in the
back of the net. The mistake. I think you can forgive the mistake by Luke brook Smith because he's a sixteen year old kid who's been sent on to try and make a difference in a game when those who are far older and far more experience than him haven't been able to. He's got a goal and then no doubt adrenaline is pumping through his veins. He's just trying to get on the ball, do whatever he can. He's back defending. He's played a ill advised pass across his
own penalty area. We're told from the moment we start playing football, don't play the ball across your own penalty area. And it's resulted in a goal. But I don't think you can say you can't point the finger at Luke brook Smith. He was to me the one positive in the Phoenix performance.
I thought, yeah, I thought he was great coming off the bench and it's promise for the Wellington Phoenix. But speaking of the other goals that they just conceded, you know that back post Logan Rogerson one. It just shows
their inexperience. Equally, though, I feel like you do have to put a little bit of blame or question onto Chief spoke about how they were really prepared for the set pieces in the corners from Auckland deft C and that's what they worked hard on in training, and clearly maybe they focused too much on that, I'm not sure, but just silly eras once again where the Phoenix could help themselves a bit better and keep themselves in matches.
I quite like Chico Geraldes as well, from what I saw from him playing the full ninety minutes the new Portuguese player. I think he showed a few touches of class and enough to suggest that he'll add a bit of spark. Good to see rufer On. I would have started Alec rufer He told us during the week that he had sixty minutes in him, So why they didn't
start him, I don't know. You start him and get your sixty minutes out of him, and then you hope that derby adrenaline kicks and he gets seventy seventy five minutes. They didn't bring him on until halftime, and by that stage they are three nled down. Good to see Marco
Rohas back out there as well. So look, if they can somehow get Rufer, Giraldez, Barbarusis Rojas all fit, throw a little bit of Luke brook Smith and Nathan Walker into there, I would love to see them, you know, rise from this, but they have to really change the way they play, because, as I've said, they've been so passive,
they've been so defensive. It would take a change in philosophy from Chiefee to bring in all of those players together and to get on the front foot in matches, and I just don't know whether he will do it.
Yeah. Well, I think that was the thing over the weekend is that the Phoenix actually did have some promising attacking moments, which I've really lacked recently. So yeah, obviously you've got to put that down to Costa and Cheeko this guy. I'd like to see them play, probably a team more at their level and see how they go. Having Rufer back, having row hassback, as you say, Pineers surely will insill a bit of confidence in them.
Well, let's hope. So so they're nine points now outside the top six with nine games to go. Gian Calotaliana said after the game believes they can make the top six, and mathematically he's right, but it would be a huge turnaround in form and fortunes if they were to somehow climb out of this, because it has been really, really challenging for them in recent times. They've only won one of their last eight matches, They've only scored five goals
in those eight games. They've just suffered one of the worst defeats in club history against their fiercest rivals. They've got Melbourne City coming on Friday night. Then they've got to travel to Western United and to Sydney FC, so by the time we even get to April, it might be beyond reach. But I will say this a huge, huge kudos to the members of Yellow Fever who traveled to the game. They were there in big numbers again and most of them stayed right till the end. And
I tweeted this out last night. It's not the time to abandon your team. There's a lot of anger, a lot of irritation, a lot of frustration, a lot of chat about the Phoenix, about the club, about the coach about the philosophy all that stuff. But fandom is a roller coaster. I mean, if anybody knows that it's Phoenix fans, you can't jump off just when things get tough. You have to stay on.
Yeah, you're absolutely right, Pinney. I felt goosebumps when you were saying that. I think even if the Phoenix falls short on this playoff run, they need to just pick themselves up and get a few wins or draws under their belts, score a couple of goals, you know, just just keep those fans on. And I doubt the Yellow Fever fans they're the most loyal you'll ever find. They were there in full force in Auckland on Saturday and yeah,
no doubt they'll stick with their team. But I just hope that the boys on the park can give them something in return.
Yep, I hope so so well said very well said. So the Phoenix up against Melbourne, short turn around for them Friday night, Sky Stadium and then Auckland FC are back at home for a top of the table clash against Adelaide United. That game kicks off at five o'clock on Saturday. Afternoon Football Fever with Jason Faine and Bonnie Jensen.
So no game for the Wellington Phoenix women this weekend because there is an international break and during that break the football Ferns are in action a couple of games against Costa Rica. The first of them was yesterday. They've got another one on Wednesday. Now. By a catastrophic clash of timings, this game kicked off just as I was starting a radio show yesterday, the first of these games in San Jose. I know that you had your eyes on it, though, so I'm going to defer to your
opinions and your expertise on this. Tell us about the game, tell us about the way that Michael Maine set them up. What stood out for you?
Yeah, well, Piney, it was a bit of a windy day, it looked in San Jose. The conditions weren't great. It kind of looked like a local, local perch and local stadium. However, you could hear the fans through the TV, which was which was great one all draw. It was their first game and what seven months since the Olympics, so a lot of speculation as to how they would shape up.
Michael Maine, interim coach, did instill a new system. He went for three at the back, Essen and Goal Vickison, and then four across the midfield in near Page Riley, Mickey Foster, Annalie Longo and Hannah Blake and then Fraser Macy Fraser just sitting in front, and then Katie Kitching and Kelly Brown at the top. So it was a new shape. But they looked alright, a very young squad. Obviously Grace Jarlay and Millie Cleek were both ruled out, but overall I thought there are a lot of positives
that they could could take from this game. They you know, kind of dominated the position to some extent, had ten shots on goal, which is super unusual for this side, and a lot of individual performances. Yeah, showed real great promise.
India Page Riley's goal, I saw that. I've seen that in the highlights that I've watched. It's a world It's a great goal.
Yeah. It was a great goal and probably came at the right time. You know, you don't want to be down going into the sheds, and they kind of answered back. The goal they conceded was one where Michael Maine wants to as an area of improvement in the transition, you know, not being caught out or two stretched, so just a turnover at the halfway point, and yeah, the football fans at the bat got a bit caught out. So nice for India page Riley to kind of turn around and
answer with that kind of individual brilliance. I think, you know, as I mentioned before, they did look a lot better attacking. And that's even so with the likes of Grace Jarlay and Millie Kleek, who could have possibly started had they been fit, you know, done all right, So I think that's that's the biggest thing for the football Ferns is they need to be scoring more goals and they know that we all know that we need them to be
doing that. And this new system that Michael Mayne kind of implemented yesterday showed that's kind of the way they're tracking.
So quite where that Jackie Han didn't start the game, I mean, Kelly Brown, is that a you know, yes, she's a promising player, but she's playing for Perth Glory on debut. Why didn't Jackie hand start the game?
I thought this as well, and I'm actually you know who my favorite team is in the world. It's the US women's national team. Coach by em Hayes planning, and I'm actually kind of comparing the two sides at the moment. They're quite incomparable. But you know, during this first international window of the year, and I think Michael Mayne is using this opportunity like Emma Hayes is with the United States team to see new players. He knows what Jackie
Han can do. It's probably the reason he didn't take c. J. Bott, Rebecca Stott or Katie Bowen to this international. He knows what all those players are capable of. He's seen Jackie Han, Kelly Brown he hasn't seen in this national setup and and that's why she obviously got the start. He wanted to give her the opportunity and perhaps, you know, Michael mains right and doing that as much as we would like to see Jackie probably growing confidence and grow into
that role now without you know, the likes of Hannah Wilkinson. There, there's a long way till the next World Cup, in the next Pinnacle event, so why not see new faces And that's clearly what he's trying to do. He obviously brought as well Maniah Elliott from the Wellington Phoenix and Maya Hahn who plays over in Germany, they also came on for their debut.
So I'd quite like to see Emma Pinenberg in that in that case, because we haven't. I don't think we've seen her. I don't think she's stay booed in a football fern shirt. I might be wrong. She certainly hasn't played very often. She didn't get on the field, did she. So she's one I would like to see. And we don't know about Jarlay and Clegg in terms of their fitness for the second game.
Yeah, no, I haven't heard about their fitness, but you're right, I would like to see Emma Pinenberger as well. And I think that's what Michael Mayn will do this again, comparing to the US team. I just watched their second game this morning in this international window, and the she
Believes Cup. She Believes Cup against Australia, and Emma Hay has put a full new starting eleven out there, So I wonder if Michael Mayn will potentially follow suit, and you know, we might see the likes of Mackenzie Barry come in and start in the back there, or maybe someone like Maya Hahn and Macey Fraser who are similar creative players. Might swap out. Maybe maybe Brianna Edwards will
get a shot and goal. So yeah, that's what I would like to see because it's clear Michael Mayn wants to give new players an opportunity, so why not change it up for the second match.
So we're thirty second in the world, Costa Rica are forty third. I know, you know rankings only count for so much, but we should be getting results against Costa Rica. Shouldn't we won? All is? Okay? Yep? We fell behind and got an equalizer, couldn't find a winner ten shots. As you say, we should expect New Zealand to win games like this, or at least have an expectation that they'll come close to winning games like this.
Shouldn't we We should? But I didn't don't know if that's harsh. I thought Costa Rica would come out and probably put three past us, especially with this young side and that Michael Maine took over there. I base that off. They played the US again. I mentioned this will be the last time I mentioned the US. They played them last year and they drew with the United States and there I think it was before the Olympics pre Olympic match again. Then the US went on to beat them
three nil. But I Costa Rica are a great football nation and I didn't think we would compete with them as well as we did, especially on the stats front. We owned more of the position and we still managed to get ten shots off one goal. So I was really really impressed with the Ferns and the way they executed themselves.
What about Macy Fraser, you mentioned it briefly before played eighty minutes. How did she look?
Yeah, she looks good considering she hasn't played a game of or that we you know, professional football, or you know, beyond a preseason match since the Olympics, since she came off and you know, she didn't go back to Utah after the Olympics, the Utah Royals and the NWSL. She's gone back there now for the preseason, but she hasn't played since the Olympics. And I thought she looked really good out there, and she looked like she was having a bit more fun, and she was passionate in the
game and she was contesting tackles. Obviously, looks great on the ball, and maybe this new coaching structure of Michael Maine is able to bring out the best in Macy and I think that's so important because I mean, we speak all the time about how talented this player is and I just hope, yeah, whoever is in that role as head coach, can you know, find ways to optimize her talent.
All right, So game two between the two teams, same venue I think, is on Wednesday at two o'clock New Zealand time. I will be able to watch this one, so I'll be much better informed. But yeah, let's hope for a similar performance perhaps and maybe even a win for New Zealand over Costa Rica when they meet on Wednesday at two o'clock. As I say, no game for the Wellington Phoenix women, but they are in action this
coming weekend. I'm just thinking, Actually, it doesn't give the Phoenix players and the football funds a heck of a lot of time to get back and get over any jet lag they might have. But they're going to have to because they play on Sunday against Adelaide United at pottido A Park. And as mentioned on the podcast numerous times, March is massive for the Wellington Phoenix Women. Four of their five games are at home. We know how good they are at home. Adelaide United Western Sydney Central Coast
and Melbourne City all come to Pottydoor Park. In the middle of all of that, Wellington will go away to play Sydney FC. Just so pivotal that they get a lot of points in March if they are to make a run for them for the top six. Okay, Bonnie well having survived derby number three where I was gonna say, it all sort of calms down a little bit, but it doesn't really does it. Wellington Phoenix Men Friday night, Auckland FC Saturday afternoon, Wellington Phoenix Women Sunday afternoon, and
the football ferns and amongst all of that. So it's it's ramping up if anything.
Yeah, it is piney and I just want to say, you know, for t KIWI fans get out there and you know, obviously support all three teams playing in the A League as they kind of go on this home stretch. Obviously it's important for the playoff runs, but it's also important for all the team's revenue and getting ticket sales. If you were arming and roning about this Auckland FC game in the weekend as well. It is a top
of the table clash. Plus rumor has it. They're going to have a bit of a carnival fair circus type situation going on with a Fairis wheel, a fifteen meter ferris wheel.
Well, if that's not going to convert those who are sitting on the fence, then nothing will football on the field and a fairest wheel off to one side. A fairest wheel. I can't remember the last time I was on one of those.
Yeah, I know it's actually insane that I just don't know what more this club are going to do, but bring it.
On, Bring it on, indeed, and we'll have a fresh episode of Football Fever for you next Monday. This is Football Fever.