Is This The Season That The Wellington Phoenix Finally Make The A-League Women’s Finals?
Every year the aim has been finals footy for the Wellington Phoenix women. For the first couple years, that turned out to be an unrealistic target and they ended up with a couple of wooden spoons instead. But in year three the dream wasn’t so far-fetched. With a crop of visa players, a more experienced local crew, a slightly longer season, and the the knowledge of days gone by the intention was set. The aim had been declared. However, despite a far more competitive season than the previous couple, the Welly Nix still fell five points short of the top six.
Okay then... maybe this time? Well, the offseason departures of Macey Fraser, Mickey Foster, and Kate Taylor (among others) plus the complete replenishment of their import quintet didn’t exactly give them a headstart in that quest. But it did help massively that, third time lucky, they finally had a manager return for a second campaign with Paul Temple bringing continuity in the dugout. Under Temple, they’d gone a long way towards creating a playing style identity for the team. With the women’s side of the Nix Academy having reached enough maturity to be supplying first-team capable footballers, same as we’ve seen for the past few seasons with the blokes, there was every reason to that this would be the year.
Aaaaand then we skip forward to half-time of their season opener away to Western United, with the Nix trailing 4-1 and looking like an absolute shambles at the back. All that hard work through the preseason cast to the wind in a frantic panic. This was carnage. This was chaos. This was the very opposite of a top six team.
Fortunately, that turned out to be a false alarm. A few useful adjustments meant they only ended up losing that match 4-2 and even though they also lost their next two fixtures as well, beaten 1-0 by Canberra and 1-0 by Newcastle, those were far more cohesive performances. Very much not ideal to be starting a season in which playoffs were the aim by losing three on the trot... but they weren’t that far off. Just lacking a bit of juice in attack, particularly with English striker Olivia Fergusson yet to start a game at that stage. Her full debut would come in Unite Round the following week and guess what? A Maya McCutcheon goal just before the half sent the Nix towards a 1-0 victory and they haven’t looked back since.
The wins have begun to compound. The goals have begun to flow (a little bit). Defensively they’ve been superb ever since that rotten first half of the first game. Even when they’ve lost recently, it’s been in competitive circumstances. Like losing 2-1 away to league-leaders Melbourne City in a match which they were leading at HT. Or losing 2-1 away to Adelaide in sweltering heat on a short-turnaround after a midweek win away to Western Sydney, pushing Adelaide all the way to the final whistle despite the conditions. Right now they look every bit that top six team they’re trying to be. We’re only at the midway stage of the season but if things carry on the way they’ve been going then the prophecy will be fulfilled.
| 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 (So Far) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals Scored Per Game | 0.86 | 1.06 | 1.55 | 1.36 |
| Goals Conceded Per Game | 2.29 | 1.61 | 1.36 | 1.09 |
| Points Per Game | 0.50 | 0.72 | 1.27 | 1.45 |
| xG For/90 | 0.78 | 0.99 | 1.56 | 1.65 |
| xG Against/90 | 2.15 | 1.59 | 1.23 | 1.14 |
| Shots For/90 | 8.1 | 11.3 | 13.5 | 15.9 |
| Shots Against/90 | 19.0 | 15.6 | 14.6 | 11.3 |
| Passing Completion % | 62.1 | 67.8 | 71.9 | 69.7 |
| Touches In Attacking Third/90 | 102.2 | 117.5 | 106.1 | 159.4 |
| Touches In Penalty Area/90 | 12.6 | 18.3 | 15.8 | 20.5 |
| Defensive Clearances/90 | 23.6 | 23.4 | 21.2 | 27.5 |
Squad Depth & Consistency Of Selection
The 2-1 loss to Adelaide on Sunday completed a tricky run of three games in eight days. It also extended a run of consistent selections. At a time when the HeNix are scrambling for different line-ups every week due to a glut of injuries, the women’s team have had no such bad luck. They’ve been able to pick the same matchday squad for seven consecutive games, with the exception of the unused backup keepers (Aimee Danieli missed four games with a concussion so Brooke Neary sat on the bench in her place). Temps has made tweaks to the starting team within that, alterations based on matchups and tactical instructions, but it’s been the same group of players every week.
Rebecca Lake did suffer a season-ending injury two weeks into the campaign hence the medical record has not been without blemishes. Let alone Marisa van der Meer re-tearing her ACL in preseason or scholarship striker Ella McCann getting the same injury while away at the U20 World Cup. But other than that the only games missed due to injury were a minor knock for Olivia Fergusson in game one and the busted face that Annalie Longo copped to keep her out of game four. Amelia Abbott is currently dealing with an issue in the background but she hasn’t even debuted for the club since joining at the conclusion of her USA college career.
So the injuries have been kind, allowing fresh combinations to blossom and match fitness to grow. Sweet as. Yet while the squad remains the same, the starting elevens are constantly tweaked. Sometimes Zoe McMeeken starts at right-back, sometimes it’s Alivia Kelly or Tiana Jaber. A couple of games have seen Daisy Brazendale join the midfield in place of Alyssa Whinham to change the look. Mebae Tanaka and Manaia Elliott have rotated. Emma Main’s always in contention to start. Grace Jale came off the bench on two occasions. The squad is settled by the starting line-up is not because there’s that precious commodity of competition for places at work, which not only keeps everyone on their tiptoes but it also means that there’s an impactful bench that can bring a spark late in games. That’s manifested in the team having nine different goal scorers across eleven fixtures (ten if you count “own goal” as an entity), spreading the responsibility around the group... and keeping Ella McMillan and Olivia Ingham stuck chomping on hot chips in the stands waiting for their turn...
Defensive Solidity
If you discount that terrible first half of the first game then the Wellington Phoenix have actually only conceded eight goals in 945 minutes. That’s 0.76 goals per ninety minutes. Even with those four goals they’re still only at 1.09 goals against per ninety and that’s the equal best mark in the entire competition (alongside first-placed Melbourne City). Ponder that for a sec. This is a great example of how first impressions can be deceptive because the first impression we got of this team was that of a thoroughly atrocious defensive unit and yet, in reality, they’ve since emerged as arguably the best defence in the entire competition.
The expected goal (xG) stat measures this slightly differently, ranking the Nix in fourth... but that’s the value of having a very good goalkeeper. Carolina Vilão joined this team with high expectations and she’s lived up to them so far. She’s a good passer from the back, especially skilled in that chip out to the fullback, and she challenges for that ball in the air. Sometimes a little slow off her line but really good as a shot-stopper. Her coach recently suggested that she’s the best goalie in the ALW this season and at a time when a few new faces are emerging in this position across the competition that may well be true. She’s right up there, in any case.
But of course this river runs deeper than that. The Nix are allowing the third fewest shots per game. They concede the fewest goals per shot against. Only four of the goals they’ve conceded have been assisted. They win more tackles than any other team and they’re first for successful aerial duels. They’re ranked third for interceptions. Second for clearances. They make the most blocks (predominantly from passes/crosses rather than shots – most of which is coming from their forwards on the high press). Lots of stats there that paint a pretty picture of what quality ALW defence looks like. Across the board this is a really strong out-of-possession team that gets into the trenches, constantly challenging and engaging their opponents.
Maya McCutcheon’s Magnificence
And who embodies that combative approach most of all? Well, Mackenzie Barry is a tackling machine and Tiana Jaber has had a fine season so far. Already mentioned Carolina Vilão’s tidy work while the pressing of players like Alyssa Whinham and Olivia Fergusson sets a tone from the top. But Maya McCutcheon is the heartbeat of it all, what a player. The shift that she puts in every week, winning and securing possession, is absolutely immense.
MM isn’t an amazing passer, to be fair, though she makes up for that with some sneaky great movement that gets her into the attacking penalty area a lot more than most defensive midfielders. She’s already got a goal and two assists and there’ll be more where that came from. However, her job is mostly to break up whatever the other team is trying to do. In that role, you don’t even necessarily have to win your tackles to be effective because even just sticking a foot in and slowing a player down is stopping a potential counter attack. To that point, there’s not a single player in the A-League who has attempted more tackles than Maya McCutcheon this season... and she’s also yet to receive a yellow card.
The Nix didn’t use an import spot on this position last time. Instead, Kate Taylor was converted into a defensive midfielder for these purposes. That worked out alright but the midfield stocks around Taylor did get rather skint at times (due to injuries) which led to a whole lot of Hope Breslin being used as a midfielder... and that didn’t really work (Breslin’s mostly been used as an attacking midfielder for Brooklyn FC since she left the Nix, far more suitable for her many skills).
So after Taylor departed, they didn’t only get a specialist import midfielder, they got one who perfectly suits the style the team is aiming for. Someone they can build around. Someone whose ball-winning magic has freed up Annalie Longo to find some resurgent form alongside her, thus ensuring they can get their forwards involved much sooner and more effectively than they’ve done in the past. And although it took a few months to get the confidence brewing, we’ve begun to see just how dangerous the likes of Jale and Whinham can be when given open space to attack. That’s all part of Maya McCutcheon’s influence too.
Scouting The NZ National League
This isn’t strictly a Wellington Phoenix note, nor is it a women’s football note. Liam Gillion’s emergence for Auckland FC in the ALM is proof that this point is universal: the best players in the NZ National League are good enough to play in the A-League (and beyond). The evidence is insurmountable. For the Welly Nix Wahine, the latest example is Lara Wall, who was signed on scholarship terms after a successful trial during preseason and immediately looked at home in yellow and black. It was her elevation to the starting line-up that coincided with the team’s first win... and she’s played every minute since. Strong and hard-working. Good with both feet. Constantly looking for those overlapping runs. Her combination with Grace Jale has been a huge factor in the latter growing into her best form. Wall has been a superb addition to the squad.
What’s also interesting is that the left-back who she’s replacing was also once a superstar of the National League, also joined on scholarship terms, also gave them amazing attacking presence, and was also two-footed (even more so in her case). That left-back’s name is Michaela Foster. Same situation. Foz was among the very best domestic players in the country when she finally got a crack with the Nix. The Phoenix recognised that and now she’s a regular international playing professionally in England. Lara Wall had developed a similar reputation in the Nats as an unstoppable wide defender for Canterbury United. Again, the Phoenix recognised that. Again, she was good enough to instantly find her feet at the level above.
These are not exceptions, this is the rule. Macey Fraser, Rebecca Lake, Deven Jackson, Chloe Knott, Emma Main, Grace Jale, Liz Anton, Claudia Bunge, Ruby Nathan, Manaia Elliott, Kelli Brown, Grace Wisnewski, Geo Candy... these are all players who established themselves in the National League before earning professional gigs. Could even make a case for Milly Clegg to a lesser degree. Some of them leveraged age grade international stuff to get those opportunities, sure, but others were well beyond the U20s by the time the pros came calling. Jackson, Knott, Foster, Main, Lake, Wall... they all honed their abilities via NZ’s domestic antics. Over on the men’s side, the same is true of Cam Howieson, Corban Piper, Luis Toomey, Jesse Randall... even Tim Payne, Logan Rogerson, and Francis De Vries to some extent. And even though the Nix Academy moulds most of their young players these days, that moulding includes National League football for both the men’s and women’s reserves. You get the idea. In these parts, we respect our National League.
On The Road
Things are never so simple as this but if you want to boil last season’s finals whiff down to one thing then the SheNix’s horrendous away form goes a long way towards getting there. They did win 3-0 against Western Sydney Wanderers in their first away game of 2023-24 (a feat that they matched last week) but from then on out it was disastrous: one win and nine defeats (plus a Unite Round defeat). All up they took 6 points from 12 games in Australia compared to 21 points from 10 games in New Zealand. The most devastating aspect was that so many of those defeats were competitive ones. They lost by one-goal margins in six of them. Literally if one or two moments broke different then they might have won. So close and yet far away.
This season hasn’t been that much better... but it has been better. They won in Unite Round, beating Adelaide 1-0. They’ve also got an away win against Western Sydney plus a draw away to Melbourne Victory (shout out to Manaia Elliott’s last-minute headed equaliser). Halfway through the season, they’ve already topped last year’s points tally in matches hosted across the ditch. Small margins are all it was going to take and this time around the Nix seem a little more self-assured, a little more prepared, and a little more intelligent when lining up away from home. That could make all the difference.
Second Half Goals
At half-time of the game at home against Sydney FC a few weeks ago, the Welly Nix were playing quite well but were struggling to turn that promise into chances. The match was scoreless. Could have gone either way. So Paul Temple subbed on Alyssa Whinham who gave the side a spark and then Grace Jale scored a banger from distance and, right at the end, Zoe McMeeken sealed the deal on a 2-0 win with her first ALW goal.
At half-time of the game at home against Perth Glory at the beginning of the month, the Welly Nix were holding their own in a competitive game with plenty of possession but not enough shots. Mebae Tanaka had a couple of good chances that went awry but equally Perth seemed to have a bit of danger about them too. Goalless at half-time. In the balance. Then Grace Jale slammed one in from distance and later Olivia Fergusson guided in a second from a Lara Wall cross and there ya go, 2-0 to the Nix and another victory in the bag.
At half-time of the midweek game away to Western Sydney Wanderers, the Welly Nix had already hit the woodwork twice when WSW had their keeper sent off for a bad foul clattering into Fergusson outside the area. Wellington were battering their opponents. It was visible domination and yet the game was 0-0 at the break. No reward for the efforts... until the game kicked off again and Alyssa Whinham immediately scored a magnificent strike from miles out. Alivia Kelly and Emma Main also scored as the Nix ran rampant. 3-0 was the final score but they could have won by double, maybe even triple, that figure.
Three games, all wins, where slight adjustments and big second half efforts earned the points. Think about that idea of having impactful subs and how they’ve improved their game management this season... this is how that gets expressed. Four of the Nix’s goals have been scored in first halves, 11 have been scored in second halves. Even in the loss against Adelaide when they didn’t find an equaliser we still saw a team playing with energy and determination right up until the final whistle.
Long Shots
Did you notice something in common between those three second-half breakthrough goals? The title of this subsection probably gives it away but have another look anyway, if only for the memories.
Grace Jale vs Sydney...
Grace Jale vs Perth...
Alyssa Whinham vs Western Sydney...
On all three occasions, when the team was huffing and puffing for a goal, the deadlock was broken by a bomb from downtown. Steph Curry in the carpark kinda stuff.
For Grace Jale, these were her first two goals since November 2023 at the beginning of her time with Perth. She scored three in her first four matches then went on a terrifying drought that lasted 1622 minutes of A-League action, not only without a goal but without an assist either. She did top-score for the Football Ferns during Olympic qualifying in February 2024 but if you watched those games it wasn’t exactly full steam ahead. She missed several good chances including a penalty kick against Samoa. Her return to the Phoenix was greeted as a major transfer coup but for the first couple months she looked hesitant and unsure of herself. Then she scored a couple belters and suddenly she might be in career-best form. Confidence is a hell of a drug. From playing like someone who was lucky there were no national team squads for her to be dropped from to very quickly looking like she could be challenging for a starting eleven spot when the Fernies next play. That’s what we wanna see.
Sometimes you’ve just gotta let it rip. You can’t build your whole attack around long shots but it’s still important to see that ball fly every now and then. Keep the defence on their toes. Ask the goalie to do some work. Make sure that everybody knows they’ve got to close you down in those situations, thus creating space for your teammates to work with. Chuck a bit of variety into the attack. The Nix don’t have a whole lot of power in their boots – Alyssa Whinham’s tried a few of these efforts too, with minimal effect (her amazing long strike was a chip rather than a blast) – but Jale’s an exception. She can smash the leather off it and it appears she’s discovered a trademark move that may have gotten her whole career back on track.
Building & Breaking
There was something that Paul Temple spoke about in one of his media standups recently, an idea that he referred to as: “Build or break”. These are the two modes of possession. Either the team is building with the ball, trying to establish control with steady passing that’ll hopefully lead to unpicking the opposition defence, or they’re breaking and trying to score immediately in those transitional phases. This is both a progression and an area to work on. As Temps says: “that’s a fine art and we’re still getting a feel for it”.
This is something to track as the season goes on. The breaking has been really good lately... but the building is still under construction. Often that’s because they break when they should be building. The tendency is definitely towards that fast-paced impatient stuff hence the next evolution is to see them start to take more control of games by understanding when to slow things down. Even more to the point is they need to figure out how to break teams open from those spots... because they’re getting a lot of touches around the penalty area these days but they’re not necessarily turning them into chances.
This is another reason why the long shot threat is a happy development, drawing defenders out so they’re not sitting deep and crowding the area. Decision making also needs to improve, that’s no lie. But the finishing is getting there, belief in the approach is growing, and they’re also figuring out a few more patterns of play to offer some guidance. One such pattern is this simple bit of geometry...
This is from the emphatic Western Sydney win and that’s midfielder Longo out wide, drifting to the wing in support. The actual winger, Mebae Tanaka, started infield then ran out towards Longo before straightening her run into the space created as the fullback closed out on AL. All the while, fullback Alivia Kelly, rather than running an overlap, has tucked inside to give Longo the option of a square pass... and when Longo instead passes into the path of Tanaka, Kelly simply continues her run into the area.
We’re seeing this plenty on the other side too with Wall, Jale, and Whinham – although the nature of those particular players means there was more overlapping variety there from Wall holding the width. But that’s the beauty. This isn’t a set move, it’s merely a starting shape full of spontaneous options. Sometimes Jale angles infield seeking a shot. Often the option is to push a pass all the way to Fergusson’s feet in the middle. Other times, Longo might look for a one-two that sends her running to the byline. The important thing is that they’re getting numbers around the ball, they’re staying patient rather than forcing things, and they’re trusting in each other that they can make things work. Long may it continue.
The Cellies
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