The Wellington Phoenix have a game in a few weeks. FFA Cup against Bentleigh Greens, a club from the Victorian Premier League, on August 7. Seems pretty early to be getting into the proper football and realistically it is. The early FFA Cup stuff is basically only preseason for the A-League sides and as such the Nix have a notoriously terrible record in that competition, just one win from five games.

Granted they always play away and usually against A-League opposition so they do have some decent enough excuses. Last year Oriol Riera scored in stoppage time of the second half of extra time for a 1-0 Western Sydney win which is about as rough as it gets. This is actually the first time they’ve ever drawn a lower league team in the round of 32. Seems a bit of an opportunity.

Except that we’re a month out from that game, already started preseason, and this team barely reaches beyond a starting XI. Things have been much more comfortable already under Mark Rudan, who so far has said and done all the right things. For the first time in a long time it feels like the immediate sense of panic has disappeared around this club. But the one thing he still hasn’t done yet is sign any new bloody players.

That wouldn’t feel so bad if other clubs weren’t all getting in on the act, many of them snapping up ex-Nix players… presumably just it rub it in. Matt Ridenton joined the Newcastle Jets way back. Mike McGlinchey has gone back to the Central Coast Mariners. The latest was Tando Velaphi rocking up at Perth Glory. Then add in that all four of the non-Roy Krishna imports are gone and that explains why the squad got cut in half. That and a bunch of free agents too.

Of which, hmm, let’s take a look. Logan Rogerson is trialling in Germany at the moment. James McGarry supposedly has something in Europe lined up. Haven’t heard much about Monty Patterson lately. Meanwhile here’s your list of confirmed players for next season:

Nathan Burns, Liberato Cacace, Tom Doyle, Andrew Durante, Louis Fenton, Dylan Fox, Roy Krishna, Ryan Lowry, Adam Parkhouse, Oliver Sail, Sarpreet Singh & Keegan Smith.

There are probably six players there that you’d be happy to see in the starting lineup of a playoffs game. Safe to say that reinforcements are needed quick, not only to, you know, fill out the roster to where it’s of a legal size but also to get some damn game-winners in there. Four maybe five import players will be on their way and that should be sweet as. Still leaves half a dozen spots open for others though.

Right now we’re stuck in limbo waiting for something to be announced. You never know what’s going on under the surface, who’s been chatting with which agents and all that. But considering how far behind the Nix are compared to every other club heading into the new season – and they were behind even before they were behind because of how crap they were last season – a few decent signings would go a long way towards helping things. Any day now. Just… waiting for something to happen. Refreshing the news feed. Staring blankly into digital space.

Ah but what we do have is the rumour mill and with preseason training already underway there has been confirmation of a handful of triallists looking to win a contract with Aotearoa’s only professional team. By the way, if TNC fans in Wellywood wanna drop by Nix training and grab some discreet pictures, our DMs are always open. We’re all friends here.

Anyway, there’s legit evidence that Justin Gulley and Callan Elliot have been working out with the squad. Gulley makes perfect sense as a local, a former Nix youther, a current All White and the captain of Team Wellington. And also as a versatile guy who can play across the backline. Elliot is much more of a smokey but it’s a brilliant one. The young Tasman winger was a real emerging talent in the last Premiership season and would come in as a prospect player with some genuine potential. He’s a fun player, someone who can take defenders on. Someone who can score goals. Plus he comes highly recommended by none other than Paul Ifill.

The Nix have a decent history of locating talented attacking players but then not playing them much (Rojas and Boyd in particular). Elliot’s about as ready to be a week-in, week-out guy as Keegan Smith is but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a handy bench option now and then. Most of all it’s just cool to see that, even if he doesn’t get picked up, young locals have the door open to them at NZ’s lone pro club.

There’s also been chatter of guys like Cam Howieson, Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi and Tim Payne having a run. Howieson’s still been playing with Three Kings on the weekends in the Northern Premier League but that doesn’t mean much. It’s only like a 40 minute flight up. Same goes for Payne with Eastern Suburbs and TAHW with Onehunga Sports. Then there’s also a certain Andre De Jong, a man who combines Rudan’s interest in kiwi players and knowledge of the NSW league, who has been rumoured at Nix trainings and has been spotted in Wellington lately.

Is that enough to subsist upon? It’ll have to be, amigo. It’s all we’ve got. There’s also a slightly confusing preseason schedule floating around out there but surely the club’s got that all under control, no reason in panicking before things are made official. We’re in a healthier place with the Nix than it was possible to even imagine a few months ago… but we can’t allow ourselves to get complacent until we get some flippin’ players in. Your move, Rudes.

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