WELCOME FROM GM DAVID DOME Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to WIN Stadium in Wollongong for the women’s 12th round Liberty A-League match against Adelaide United.
Adelaide are in hot form. They’ve won four of their last five matches, capped by an astounding 8-2 win over Brisbane Roar on Sunday, when Fiona Wort scored five goals.
How good was last Friday?! The players had targeted the match against Canberra United and they delivered in a big way with a classy 3-0 win in Australia’s capital. What a way to secure their first three points!
Kate Taylor will wear the captain’s armband tonight in the absence of our skipper Lily Alfeld, who is away with the Football Ferns at the SheBelieves Cup in the U.S. It’s great to see Lily rewarded for her performances throughout the season and it shows that Jitka Klimková is taking a close interest in our players.
The weight is now off the players’ shoulders, but I know they’re not satisfied with just one win. Gemma has made it clear they believe their remaining three games are winnable. Tonight we welcome Adelaide United to Wollongong. The women lost 1-0 in South Australia last month in an evenly contested match and know they can compete with the Reds.
The team’s four month stay in Wollongong is coming to an end. It has been an enormous challenge for such a young group to be based away from home for so long, but they continue to be outstanding representatives for the club both on and off and pitch.
We are lucky to have great commercial partners. New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS), Chemist Warehouse, Comrad Medical Systems and SHOTT Beverages are the women’s biggest supporters and have made it possible for our team to spend so long away from New Zealand. The players are also receiving some great support from the local community. I want to say a big thank you to Fraternity Club, BaiMed and Southern Classic Cars in particular. Fraternity Club look after the players’ pre and post-match meals, BaiMed have been providing all of their physiotherapy needs and Southern Classic Cars get the team around Wollongong in comfort and style. I’m looking forward to another whole-hearted performance from the team today. COYN!
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YOUR 2021/22 PHOENIX WOMEN SQUAD #1
GK
#2
LILY ALFELD (CAPTAIN)
#5
FWD
#6
FWD
MID
# 10
#7
FWD
TE REREMOANA WALKER
# 14
DEF
MACKENZIE BARRY
MID
#8
MID
# 11
GRACE WISNEWSKI
FWD
KELLI BROWN
DEF
CUSHLA RUE
#4
CHLOE KNOTT
GRACE JALE
MID
DEF
KATE TAYLOR
ISABEL GOMEZ
AVA PRITCHARD
# 13
#3
SASKIA VOSPER
JORDAN JASNOS
#9
DEF
# 15
GK
BRIANNA EDWARDS
DEF
ZOE MCMEEKEN
# 12
# 16
MID
HANNAH JONES
YOUR 2021/22 PHOENIX WOMEN SQUAD # 17
# 18
DEF
TALITHA KRAMER
# 19
DEF
ANNABEL MARTIN
DEF
# 20
CHARLOTTE LANCASTER
MID
ALYSSA WHINHAM
COACH Gemma Lewis
1
Annalee Grove
GK
13 Ella Tonkin
MID
2
Emily Hodgson
DEF
15 Meleri Mullan
MID
3
Matilda McNamara
DEF
16 Dylan Holmes
DEF
4
Kayla Sharples
DEF
17 Shadeene Evans
MID
5
Emma Stanbury
DEF
18 Georgia Beaumont
FWD
6
Reona Omiya
MID
19 Leia Varley
DEF
7
Natasha Brough
MID
20 Miranda Templeman
GK
8
Emily Condon
MID
21 Grace Taranto
DEF
9
Paige Hayward
FWD
22 Emilia Murray
MID
10 Chelsie Dawber
FWD
23 Fiona Worts
FWD
Isabel Hodgson
FWD
26 Grace Wilson
GK
MID
Coach: Adrian Stena
11
12 Nanako Sasaki
FEATURE:
WE’RE NOT JUST GOING TO SETTLE WITH THAT ONE WIN Grace Jale and the Wellington Phoenix women want more than just one win from their inaugural Liberty A-League season.
“I feel like we definitely did deserve it though. A couple of games didn’t really go our way, or we didn’t play the full 90 but I think we really deserved this one.”
points because we’re working hard week-in, week-out, missing our families, missing our friends back home and all that kind of stuff but I think this makes it all worth it.
The Phoenix broke through for their maiden victory last Friday night, when they beat Canberra United 3-0 in Australia’s capital.
There were scenes of joy at the final whistle as the substitutes and extended squad members joined the team on the field to celebrate.
“We haven’t finished yet. We’re not just going to settle with that one win. We’re definitely going to push for more for the final three games.”
Jale scored the second goal of the match shortly after halftime, when the team had just lost vice-captain Kate Taylor to injury.
“There were definitely a few happy tears. We were all kind of pinching ourselves thinking ‘did we really just win, like did that actually just happen’.
The win has also lifted spirits within the team.
“It was huge. Honestly we’ve been working so hard for it and to finally get it was amazing,” Jale said.
“It was cool to see the whole team come together and celebrate. It’s a feeling I definitely want more of.” It was a great contrast to a couple of weeks earlier when Grace Jale was asked to talk on camera moments after a late 3-2 defeat to Perth Glory. “It was obviously heartbreaking that Perth game. “I got a bit stitched up. I was just going to the changing room to have a cry but I got pulled over to do an interview. But it’s fine it’s part of the job.” Jale believes the three points they picked up in Canberra make their sacrifices worthwhile.
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“It’s a bit of a weight off the shoulders just to get a couple more
“I think it’s good to remind ourselves that we do deserve to be in the league, no matter how many times we’ve lost. We still deserve to be here. “We show up every week, we try our best and I guess it’s kind of like a confidence booster for the final three games. “We’re not just here for that participation award, we want to actually compete. I think it’s good, especially for the younger players, to give them a bit of confidence and know that we can actually fight.” The Phoenix were clinical in front of goal against Canberra and Grace Jale believes that needs to be the blueprint for their remaining games. “I feel like we kind of over complicate things. Football is just kicking a ball in a rectangle thing
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and sometimes we choose not to
“Chloe’s ball was definitely testing me. I had to put the burners on a little bit. I felt that after the game, but I’m happy to contribute. Whatever I could do to get us that first win, finally.”
Ava’s in the middle, we’ve all kind of chopped and changed up top which makes it nice.
pace to get on the end of an inch-
Jale has played in an unfamiliar left wing role for most of the season and now leads the team with three goals.
perfect through ball from Chloe
“I kind of had no choice but to adjust.
“I kind of just had no choice, but I like how we’re fluid enough so I can pop back into the middle if I’m getting a bit bored or a bit scared of using my left [foot].”
kick it and pass it around the box a bit much. “We finally got it in our heads that it shouldn’t be that hard and we really need to take our chances.” Jale played down her goal. The 22-year-old forward showed her
Knott and then expertly beat Canberra’s keeper. “It was pretty cool, I guess. It’s always good to get a goal.
“It’s good with our team because our front four try to be as fluid as we can. You watch the games you can see Chloe’s out wide sometimes,
“I don’t mind it. I definitely don’t have a left foot so personally I wouldn’t choose the left wing.
The team has only two matches remaining after playing Adelaide United tonight and there are mixed emotions about the end of the season. “Obviously we miss home, we miss our families, but we’ve all got chucked into this one place with a random group of girls and we’ve come together quite nicely and it’s like a big family so we’re kind of sad. “There’s also the what next. Do I go home? Do I try and go elsewhere? Do I have to get a real job?
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“Definitely focusing on those next three games, trying to get some more points out of it.
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THE PHOENIX WISHES TO THANK THE FOLLOWING BUSINESSES & ORGANISATIONS FOR THEIR SUPPORT THIS 2021/22 SEASON: P R I N C I P A L
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