The Welly Nix Title Quest: The Understudy Showcase
These post-pando restart projects are pretty ruthless for the players involved. Let’s not kid ourselves, the competitive nature of pro sportsfolk is one thing but it’s the financial incentives/threats which are demanding these leagues find a television-friendly conclusion. There are a couple different ways you can attack that if you’re in Ufuk Talay’s shoes. You can go all out for every result and risk burning your first eleven into the ground or you can rotate on the regular but potentially sacrifice results in the process or you can try and find one of a million points in the middle ground and have to worry about both of those risks.
For the Wellington Phoenix, coming into the third game of their restart, it wasn’t so much about resting dudes for the game against Adelaide on Saturday night as it was about resting them for what’s yet to come. Giving someone like Luke DeVere his first break of the entire season (lockdown aside) to keep him fresh for the Title Quest to follow. By the sounds of it this was a game that Uffie highlighted on the belated fixture list for this exact purpose, this was the one he saw as his one chance to ease the workload on some of his main players. There’s now a six-day break before facing Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday night and then effectively they’ll earn a second break if they can get second on the ladder and not have to play that first round of playoffs.
So for the final three games of the regular season you can expect to see the top strength Phoenix in action. It’s all playoff mentality from here on in as they scrap to better whatever Melbourne City can manage the rest of the way and earn second on the ladder. They’re there right now by virtue of a single goal difference point so while they can still control their fate in as much as they can win their last three games they also need to be wary of how much they win them by just to be safe... although just quietly I highly doubt that City will win out. For one thing they have Sydney FC in their first post-quarantine game. Wouldn’t back anyone lower than that to maintain a serious crack at second either, although mathematically Brisbane and Perth will still have belief. Regardless of all the sticky permutations though, the Wellington Phoenix will take very little for granted if their coach is anything to go by (and he is)... sticking true to the WNTQ spirit.
The Changes
Which still left the Adelaide game as a bit of a slippery one given we’d already dropped points against Sydney FC. Uffie made six changes to the team that started the win against Perth and even then that team wasn’t necessarily at full strength. Uli Davila was on the bench and Tim Payne out suspended. The most common starters for the Nix this season are: Marinovic, Payne, Taylor, DeVere, Cacace, Steinmann, Devlin, Piscopo, Sotirio, Davila, Ball. You can make a pretty decent case to say that Callum McCowatt might have snuck in over Sotirio in the last couple games while Gary Hooper at full fitness is probably ahead of both of them but either way the team we saw line up against what was close to a top strength Adelaide side was a long way from that. First ever A-League starts for Callan Elliot and Sam Sutton. Second club starts for Brandon Wilson and Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi. Liam McGing would play half a game in place of Steven Taylor for his second appearance of the campaign. Fresh like a field of daisies.
But those fellas weren’t coming in blind. This was a massive opportunity for all those players to hammer home their value down the stretch, something they’d been preparing for all term. Not to mention the added impetus beyond that with five players in this starting team (plus a couple on the bench) also coming off contract at the end of the season. For someone like Gary Hooper that doesn’t matter much, he’ll find a home whether it’s in Wellington or somewhere else. For folks like Hudson-Wihongi, McGing, and Elliot it’s absolutely enormous.
So for the Phoenix to come out of a game under those circumstances with a 1-1 draw that nudged them up to second on the ladder, in a game which they would’ve won had their star player not missed a late penalty, is honestly incredible. Like, that’s the one overarching point to dwell on here. Adelaide aren’t chumps, they’re in sixth place with a dangerous team trying desperately to make the playoffs... and the Nix’s second team was able to hold their own.
That’s a testament to the great work that Uffie’s done as a coach and even more than that it’s a testament to the great work that he’s done with his recruitment. It was a point he made when he first took over that recruitment was the most crucial aspect of all this and tell ya what he hasn’t flinched once. Mark Rudan made some fantastic signings. He also made some duds. Ufuk Talay has only signed good players and then he’s proceeded to get the best out of pretty much all of them. This game was proof that there’s not a player in this squad incapable of giving the team quality minutes when called upon. There’s a hierarchy which means those call-ups might be rare for a few of the fellas but they also know they need to serve up the good stuff when they do. It’s a really healthy atmosphere for a club to have.
The Performing Depth
Take Callan Elliot for example. He made four appearances under Rudan totalling 77 minutes. There were a few flashes of what he’s capable of there but you didn’t quite feel he was ready for the physicality and the pace of the A-League at the time, especially not as a converted fullback. A year later under Talay and no dramas at all. He was scrappy and energetic, mostly well-positioned and definitely not intimidated by the scene. This despite being the fourth player to start at right back for the Nix this season (all kiwis, btw). You can pick a few holes in how Kristian Opseth bullied him for the Adelaide goal – and there was an earlier moment where he did the same but didn’t score – but that’s his size as much as anything, can’t do much about that. Also while my first instinct was to blame Elliot, the replay doesn’t exactly show Hudson-Wihongi in the best light either. Whatever, that can happen with new players in those positions and the fact that this was a rarity in that game is the thing to focus on.
The only fella who maybe shrunk a bit was Sam Sutton. Understandable for the youngest dude in the starting team, Sutts is a fella I’ve got huge raps on from what I’ve seen of him for the reserve side but stuck out on the right wing the game didn’t really come to him. Didn’t do much wrong, just quiet was all. Callum McCowatt, continuing his sizzling restart form, made a tangible difference when he came on in place of Sutts... who is another one in contention for a new contract since he’s still on an academy deal. This also maybe isn’t his best role – I’d sooner see him through the middle but he’s gotta pay a few more dues before that opens up to him.
About quarter of an hour into the game Brandon Wilson felt like a possible weak link. He’d given the ball away a couple times looking like he was stuck in the mud... but it turns out he was only warming up. Once he got into the flow of the game he was actually pretty excellent. I thought he had a superb second half and next to another strong showing from Alex Rufer this Nix team has serious depth in midfield. Pleased to say Hudson-Wihongi held his own nicely at centre-back as well. He was signed as a defensive utility though his only other start so far was at right-back and he wasn’t all that comfortable there. It’s a pretty dynamic role under Talay and it’s maybe not a coincidence that Fenton and Elliot are converted wingers while Payne had played in basically every position except fullback (and goalkeeper) in his club career before this season and even Cacace, back in his academy days, was a defensive midfielder not a left-back. Got old mate Darije Kalezic to thank for that one, who’d’ve thunk it.
But yeah TAHW was solid. Had a nice cameo at CB off the bench against Perth in closing out that win and he added plenty more to his personal highlight reel here in what continues to look like his best position. Te Atawhai has a touch of the Ivan Vicelich-es about him with how he plays. Channel a late-career Godfather of Auckland City and he’ll have a strong career whether that’s at the Nix or elsewhere. Remember that Taylor and DeVere had started every game up until this one. Centreback depth had been a worry from day one and a big chunk of that was because TAHW and McGing were untested. This experience oughta do both of them plenty of good and with both coming off contract (as well as DeVere) and with no other natural CB options in the squad there’s gotta be an extension or two on offer soon enough. Got that Title Quest to worry about first though.
The Rest
Josh Sotirio’s goal was prime Josh Sotirio. An outstanding bit of movement to get free (and what a ball from Piscopo!) then he scuffs the finish one on one with the keeper only to get it back to score on the rebound. He’s far from clinical, old mate, but he has a knack for making things happen. A good knack to have.
As for Uli’s missed penalty... it happens. That’s football. Having said that, it wasn’t much of a hit and he hasn’t quite looked his same self in these bench appearances yet. Davila seems like a rhythm player, someone who needs to be out there from the start to get a feel for things. He’s been just a little distant in these last three matches. Off the pace slightly. It made sense to ease him back in up until now but methinks we might have seen the last of that now.
Pretty funny seeing all the Wellington sponsors on the electronic ad hoardings, Sky Sport and all that. Reminds you that this was technically a home game for the Phoenix – their first since the restart.
Important note: this was Libby Cacace’s 21st appearance of the season which takes him past the yellow card amnesty. He’d played the last four games on the brink of a one-game suspension for his next yellow but that catch now rises from five cards to eight before he’s gotta sit out, so that’s nice. He’s on four at the mo’ if you’re maths ain’t up to scratch.
Keeping on that previous theme: Libby is far an away the best left-back in this league... lad’s a goddamn revelation. 19 years old and there’s not a weakness in his game. A revelation.
Reno Piscopo ninety minute alert. First full game for the Italian Stallion.
A thought I had during this game... Louis Fenton is obviously the current Phoenix player with the most games for the club but who is second? Turns out it’s Alex Rufer which would probably have been the top guess on the ol’ ask the audience lifeline on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire but he’s not clear by much. Fenton has played 112 A-League games for the Welly Nix. Rufer has played 63. Libby Cacace is next with 54 and then it’s Steven Taylor with 45... followed by Stefan Marinovic and Ulises Davila on 23. Single-season players (until next season, that is). Aside from Fenton, Rufer, Cacace, and Taylor only Elliot, Sail and Waine had played A-League footy for the Nix before... which only puts this season and what Uffie’s achieved into an even more glimmering golden hue.
Spare a thought for Wally Scott. The only outfield player not to feature since the restart (apart from the suspended Tim Payne).
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