Football Ferns in World Cup Qualifying, Phase Two: Squad Yarns & Preview
Would you look at that, there’s a new Football Ferns squad already. It was only a few weeks ago that they were in camp in the Solomon Islands... but that was only phase one of this World Cup Qualification quest. They made it through the group stage unscathed and now it’s a matter of winning the knockouts back in Aotearoa. Semi-final against Fiji on April 12 in Hamilton. Should that go to plan then there’ll also be a final against either Papua New Guinea or American Samoa on 15 April in Auckland (at North Harbour Stadium). Rare home games for the Fernies. World Cup 2027 qualification on the line. It’s business time.
Gotta mention that winning this tournament, even though it ought to be a formality for the Ferns, is not the be all and end all because the beaten finalist stays in contention through the intercontinental playoffs. New Zealand hosted them last time, if you remember. Ten nations, with representatives from all six confederations, slugging it out for the final three qualifying spots. So far only the Asian reps have been determined: Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei. But it shouldn’t need to come to that for an Aotearoa team that has never lost to any of the current Oceania contingent.
Being the second part of a singular tournament, the squad picked by Michael Mayne is very similar to the previous one. The main difference is that he’s recalled a few of the players who were rested for the group stage. In come Jacqui Hand, Gabi Rennie, Ally Green, and Kate Taylor. Hand joined FC Basel at the start of the year and used her time off to nail down a starting spot at her new club. Rennie was busy with preseason for Eskilstuna United after they were promoted to the Swedish top flight – plus she seemed to be injured for a while there, hence that absence may have been enforced. Green had only just signed for FC København as that club (a powerhouse on the men’s side, where Marko Stamenić won the first of his league and cup doubles, albeit the FCK blokes are having a shocker season this time around) compete for promotion to the top division in Denmark. She made her debut for FCK a couple weeks ago. Taylor was injured when the previous squad was announced... but they named it so early that she returned before they actually travelled to the Solomons. Eh, no need to rush her. Since then KT has been back starting games for Dijon at centre-back, including when they lost 1-0 to late goal against PSG in the French Cup quarters recently.
Those are the only four changes and all four probably would have been there last time except for injuries or club situations. After getting four debutants during the group stage (Charlotte Lancaster, Pia Vlok, Suya Haering & Maddie Iro), we’ll be getting none during the knockouts. Fair enough, gotta focus on the first and foremost. We’ve already seen ten debuts since the start of 2025 and there are only so many spots to go around, right?
Not that there aren’t still some very good uncapped players challenging for attention. It’s such a shame that Zoe McMeeken suffered a bad foot injury because the way she started her season with Melbourne Victory she’d very likely have been capped by now otherwise. There’s Lara Colpi (midfield) and Jana Niedermayr (defence) playing top flight games in Switzerland and Austria respectively. Helena Errington just signed with one of the best teams in Iceland to put her on the scene. There’s Liv Page at Newcastle Jets. Rebekah Trewhitt could be an alternative at wing-back, having a decent season in the English third tier (especially if she can make the jump to WSL2). We’re picking goalkeepers from amateur situations at the moment so Blair Currie and Una Foyle should be in the conversation from Finland and Ireland respectively. And of course the Wellington Phoenix have a fair few candidates. Marisa van der Meer is top of the uncapped power rankings, while Daisy Brazendale, Zoe Benson, Emma Main, and Alyssa Whinham (when fit again) are all capable if the stars align.
Anyway, the ladies who’ve dropped out of the squad from last time are a pretty decent group – though each absence is explained by the player who has taken their spot. Lara Wall got injured after being named and she’s still injured so obviously there’s no Lara Wall. She was replaced by Suya Haering in that squad... but Haering hasn’t played much for Carl Zeiss Jena since making her international debut. She was called up to the Ferns amidst a run of starts, including in a couple of key victories for the relegation battling club (even assisting a goal in one of them) but has only featured two of the last four games – one was a very late cameo, the other she got subbed at half-time. Bit weird but that’s not a factor since the injury replacement was always likely to drop off the back of the bus, regardless of club status. Ally Green has taken her spot. With only two games to play, Coach Mayne has only picked two goalkeepers hence the clear third choice, Maddi Iro, misses out. That clears room for an extra forward so welcome back Jacqui Hand.
The other two are extremely harsh because Mack Barry and Manaia Elliott are significant players for a very good Wellington Phoenix squad. Neither have been automatics under Mayne though. Elliott has lost her place to Gabi Rennie... mixed with a bit of Jacqui Hand – both being attack-minded wide players. Rennie should be contending at RWB whereas Hand should be playing striker in this system. Mayne has used them either way before so we’ll see how that goes. But that’s why Elliott’s not been picked. Credit to Charlotte Lancaster who’s apparently overtaken her.
As for Barry, it’s tough but just look at the depth we’ve got at centre-back. She might have snuck into a back four with her versatility to cover right-back, but not in the back three we’ve seen in all but one game under Mr Mayne. Kate Taylor was the only player who started every game in 2025. She’s at the top of the queue and she’s back which means the CB at the end of the queue misses out. That’s Mackenzie Barry... who only played 77 minutes across the three group games – the fewest minutes of anyone in that squad. You can disagree with the opinion but you can’t disagree with this being the trend. Michael Mayne ranks others ahead of her.
Nor should that be controversial. If you’re only looking from the perspective of the Phoenix then sure you’re going to be annoyed that one of their best performers this season has been ignored. But this isn’t the Phoenix, it’s the Football Ferns, and the centre-backs picked ahead of Barry are:
Kate Taylor – One of NZ’s highest-level professionals making regular starts for a team in the French top flight where she’s getting to mark some of the very best players on the planet several times per season.
Rebekah Stott – Seems to be back in the frame now, thankfully, as Aotearoa’s greatest ever A-League player (having won several championships and made more appearances than any other kiwi) who captains impending premiers Melbourne City and has also played a bunch in the Asian Champions League on top of her experience in the English WSL.
Mickey Foster – Has become a staple for the national team and has been able to translate her strong ALW form into being a first eleven player in WSL2. Gets bonus points for positional flexibility, set piece deliveries, and being left-footed.
Claudia Bunge – Multiple A-League championships and a similar amount of games in that competition to Barry, though with way more goals. Another one with massive leadership credentials (as does Barry tbf, currently captaining the Nix in CJ Bott’s absence). Has also played pro in Denmark.
Liz Anton – Has more ALW experience than Barry, is a key part of the leadership at Canberra United (who are also having an excellent season), and has played professionally in Norway too.
Meikayla Moore – Second most experienced international in the squad and has played professionally in England, Scotland, Germany, and Canada (including winning the league with Glasgow City). Probably the one most at risk of losing her spot.
And that’s without even mentioning Katie Bowen who is arguably our finest CB – she’s certainly playing at the strongest level whilst challenging for silverware with Inter Milan – yet continues to go missing from these Ferns squads. Only once has she been selected since the 2024 Olympics and there she was used as a midfielder. KB played the games in Mexico and the USA and since then we’ve been based in Australia, Solomon Islands, and New Zealand which are all very far away from Italy so it’s possible this is about managing the workload (and travel kilometres) of a player who has featured more than 100 times for the national team and who has a lot at stake with her club team these days. Either way, it’s getting boring to keep having to mention it so we’ll leave it there. But if Bowen showed up then she jumps ahead of Barry too.
Nothing dramatic about any of that. It’s simply that we’re stacked for options in that position and somebody has to miss out. Doubtful that any of those others can tackle quite like Barry tackles... but they do all offer more with their passing and goal threat. It is what it is. Poor old Marisa van der Meer is still uncapped and is, at best, ninth in the pecking order when everybody is fit.
Centre-Back Starts Since 2025:
Kate Taylor (8)
Claudia Bunge (8)
Liz Anton (7)
Mickey Foster (5)
Meikayla Moore (4)
Rebekah Stott (2)
Mack Barry (2)
(Keep in mind that Stott and Foster have also started games in midfield, not counted here)
This squad was announced on 19 March... three and a half weeks before the games take place. There’s a lot on the table for NZ Football at the moment and perhaps they wanted to spread everything out between All Whites home games, various promo/marketing stuff that comes with All Whites home games, a new kit unveiling, the start of the domestic season, Futsal Superleague finals, and whatever else is going down behind the scenes. That’s ridiculously early though. Grace Wisnewksi might have played five games of football between being picked and when she travels. Most players will have logged at least two or three games. That’s a lot of potential for injuries... although blessedly at the time of writing we’re still in the clear on that.
Footy Ferns Projected Depth Chart (April 2026)
GK – Vic Esson | Alina Santos
RCB – Claudia Bunge | Meikayla Moore
CB – Kate Taylor | Rebekah Stott
LCB – Mickey Foster | Liz Anton
RWB – Indi Riley | Gabi Rennie
CM – Grace Jale | Grace Wisnewski
CM – Maya Hahn | Emma Pijnenburg
LWB – Ally Green | Charlotte Lancaster
CAM – Katie Kitching | Hannah Blake | Pia Vlok
FWD – Jacqui Hand | Deven Jackson
FWD – Kelli Brown | Milly Clegg
The CB and WB spots are interchangeable, it might be that Stott plays RCB over Bunge, for example. Similarly, maybe Rennie starts at RWB and Riley at LWB. Otherwise those hierarchies are based on the selection trends we saw last tour and at other times under Michael Mayne.
Another exercise that’s always fun is to look at who hasn’t been picked to form a shadow squad, showcasing the growing depth. And make no mistake, there’s plenty of depth for the Footy Ferns. More than ever before. The issue is that we’ve got a whole lot of entry level professionals and only a handful in world class club situations (with nobody in either the American NWSL or English WSL for the first time in over a decade). The top end isn’t what it has been and that’s why this team is having to rebuild. Having said that, the baseline depth is tremendous and the hope is that several of them can climb into those elite levels in a few years. We had some false starts there with Macey Fraser and Milly Clegg’s terminated NWSL opportunities but we’re building it back out again with Clegg and Gabi Rennie both debuting in the Swedish top flight this past weekend (against each other, coincidentally – Rennie’s team won 2-1).
Football Ferns Shadow Squad (April 2026)
GK – Anna Leat (Newcastle Jets), Claudia Jenkins (Adelaide United)
DEF – Katie Bowen (Inter Milan), Mack Barry (Wellington Phoenix), Marisa van der Meer (Wellington Phoenix), Suya Haering (Carl Zeiss Jena), Liv Page (Newcastle United), Grace Neville (Ipswich Town), Lara Wall (Wellington Phoenix), Rebekah Trewhitt (Lewes), Zoe McMeeken (Melbourne Victory)
MID – Macey Fraser (Wellington Phoenix), Malia Steinmetz (FC Nordsjælland), Daisy Brazendale (Wellington Phoenix), Jada Radosavljevic (CF Maritomo), Lara Colpi (FC Thun), Helena Errington (FH)
FWD – Ava Collins (Western Sydney Wanderers), Emma Main (Wellington Phoenix), Manaia Elliott (Wellington Phoenix), Zoe Benson (Wellington Phoenix), Kiara Bercelli (Box Hill United), Maggie Jenkins (Auckland United)
That’s without considering recent retirees (Betsy Hassett, Annalie Longo), long-term injuries (Alyssa Whinham), pregnancies (CJ Bott), or professional free agents (Rebecca Lake, Liv Chance). Granted there are a couple of less-extensively injured players in there: Leat, McMeeken, Neville, Wall. Two non-pros in the mix too but both Bercelli and Jenkins have been at that level before and deserve to be there again (Jenkins has scored seven goals in her first two games for AUFC). Of this lot, Leat, Bowen, Fraser, and Steinmetz (plus maybe Elliott and Barry) would deservedly make a full-strength squad. Brilliant to see Macey Fraser and Malia Steinmetz returning to the field over the past fortnight.
The other thing to say is that these will be just the third and hopefully fourth home games for the Football Ferns since the 2023 World Cup. In April 2024 there was a two-game series against Thailand but we got nothing last year despite NZF promising to bring both national teams home at least once per year from now onwards (more than that would be nice but it’s unrealistic to expect a balance of home and away games with so many players based overseas). CEO Andrew Pragnell has hinted that there was a planned window last year which didn’t come to fruition. Wonder if that may have been the Aussies in November? The All Whites had a home and away game vs Australia in September yet two months later the Football Ferns played both of their games in Oz.
Happily, they’re here now... busting a spell in which just 2/29 matches were held in Aotearoa. It’ll be Michael Mayne’s first opportunity to be an international head coach on home soil. It will potentially mean home debuts for Alina Santos, Maya Hahn, Emma Pijnenburg, Charlotte Lancaster, Hannah Blake, Pia Vlok, and Kelli Brown. Meanwhile our co-hosts for that World Cup, those pesky Aussies, have played 41 games over the same span of time and recently hosted the Asia Cup. Add them together and the Matildas have played 26/41 games at home since the World Cup. Almost as many home fixtures as we’ve had total fixtures.
It helps to be able to pull huge crowds, making it much more financially feasible... but not sure that alone justifies the 13x difference. If teams like USA, Japan, and Australia love thrashing us so often, the least they could do is thrash us on our own turf for once (admittedly, USA did do this back in Jan 2023 in order to scout out the facilities before the World Cup... but they made us play outside a FIFA window with a weakened squad – leading to debuts for Deven Jackson and Grace Wisnewski among a couple others... this’ll be the first time either of them have played a home international since then).
Speaking of flashbacks to 2023, this puts the current state of the team into some more context...
Football Ferns 2023 World Cup Squad
In The Current Squad (10): Claudia Bunge, Mickey Foster, Gabi Rennie, Rebekah Stott, Jacqui Hand, Grace Jale, Liz Anton, Indi Riley, Vic Esson, Milly Clegg
Not in the Current Squad But in Contention (4): CJ Bott, Malia Steinmetz, Katie Bowen, Anna Leat
Not Retired But Currently Without A Club (1): Liv Chance
Retired (8): Erin Nayler, Ria Percival, Ali Riley, Daisy Cleverley, Annalie Longo, Betsy Hassett, Paige Satchell Hannah Wilkinson
GOALKEEPERS
Vic Esson – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (32 caps/0 goals)
Alina Santos – University of Denver, USA (2/0)
Fairly confident in saying that Anna Leat would be the number one if she were fit. She’s more of the full goalkeeping package than Esson thanks to her excellent passing ability (which was fully on display for Newcastle before she got hurt) but she hasn’t played a game since 21 January after suffering another concussion. She had a tough time getting back from the one she had with Aston Villa so she’s not going to be reckless rushing back from another one. There’s a chance she’s back between the sticks for the last game of the season. This is what Stephen Hoyle had to say about Leat’s situation recently...
Stephen Hoyle, Jets coach: “She's doing more, so I think it will be close with whether she gets in or not. We're not in a position where it's something we want to push. With her history of concussions and where she's at, we want to support her and make sure as an individual she's in the best place that she can be in with her concussion. But it is very close. Maybe we will see her, maybe we won't, but I don't want to put pressure on from us to see her play.”
That’s where Vic Esson steps up to the plate. Always seems to be available and is in the midst of a superb season with the Wellington Phoenix, where she’s been good the whole way through but lately has elevated things to another tier lately with some of the saves she’s been making. Esson’s got plenty of experience. She’s someone who always stays focussed even if she’s only required to make one save all game. It does feel like she’s been specifically targeted by the proposed crackdown on goalkeeping injury stoppages that may be coming into football soon but nevertheless. Probably gonna see Esson play both games given their significance. That’s also considering how Alina Santos’ 2026 college season hasn’t properly started yet (although they have been playing some ‘Spring Series’ offseason games).
Alina Santos is the keeper who has managed to separate herself from the crowded field of possible third-choicers (for when both Esson and Leat are available). She’s not at the highest level amongst that field but she’s earned the trust of the coaching staff. Lots can change though. Claudia Jenkins is getting the chance to finish the season as Adelaide’s number one again after Ilona Melegh was called up to the Aussie U20 Asia Cup squad. Awkward to lose your spot to a 17-year-old but at least she’s a prodigy. Bri Edwards won’t get the same chance at Western Sydney but she and Nix backup Aimee Danieli are hanging around. Una Foyle is back for a third season with Cork City in Ireland. Blair Currie made her debut for KTP in Finland recently. Maddie Iro was in the last squad, now based in Aussie with Hills United where she made the NSW NPL Team of the Round for the opening set of fixtures (along with fellow kiwi Charlotte Mortlock at Northern Tigers). Wait and see if anyone from that crew does something to unseat Santos.
DEFENDERS
Liz Anton – Canberra United, AUS (28/0)
Claudia Bunge – Melbourne Victory, AUS (40/1)
Mickey Foster – Durham, ENG (33/1)
Ally Green – FC København, DEN (19/2)
Meikayla Moore – Calgary Wild, CAN (76/4)
Rebekah Stott – Melbourne City, AUS (110/4)
Kate Taylor – Dijon FCO, FRA (30/2)
Having already talked about the quality and depth of central defenders available to the Ferns – the strongest position in the squad, as always seems to be the case with NZ Football – we might as well use this spot to talk about wing-backs. The only thing with the CBs is whether Bunge or Stott is preferred as the RCB, or if any of them (Foz, Taylor, Stotty) feature in the midfield instead. At a guess, the preferred trio would be Stott – Taylor – Foster... but these secrets will be uncovered in due course. Oh and also Grace Wisnewski has filled in at CB for Nordsjælland in a few games lately so jot that down. Not that there’s any chance she plays there for the Ferns.
The wing-back stuff is tricky to project. It’s such a difficult position, where you’re often the only wide player and thus required to do the work of both a fullback and a winger all at once. It’s a role with a very high attrition rate. The task does change depending on the opposition though... and for these games it’s very much an attacking spot. Last tour we saw starts at RWB for Indi Riley (2) and Manaia Elliott; and at LWB for Elliott, Charlotte Lancaster, and Suya Haering. Two of those four players aren’t even in this squad. Ally Green has definitely been picked for that LWB position yet whether she starts or not will depend on a couple of factors. She’s short on match fitness for one thing. Also Indi Riley has been equally effective on either side while Charlotte Lancaster made a very encouraging introduction during the last tour. Lancaster and Green are there as left-sided specialists.
In that case, who else is there to play on the right? Gabi Rennie is the brightest candidate having had a spectacular season on the wing for Eskilstuna Utd in helping them to promotion last season. Yes, she’s played a lot of striker for the Ferns... but seeing the quality of her crossing and the crazy workrate that she brings for her club, that wing-back spot is where she’s got by far the most upside. She’ll do the mahi. We have also seen Jacqui Hand, Grace Jale, and Hannah Blake tried there in the past but they’ve all been way better in other positions: Hand at striker, Jale in midfield, and Blake as the CAM. Mickey Foster is the only one of the CBs who might be considered out wide but there are superior alternatives there, it’s not where she’s been playing for her club lately, and her presence as the only left-footer in the back three is way more useful.
Another thing to say about this collection of defenders is that there’s leadership credentials the whole way through. Ally Green is the only one who you wouldn’t picture wearing the captain’s armband. All the rest of them have done it at club level and most of the rest at international level too. Katie Kitching and Claudia Bunge were the two captains used last window. Esson is another in that conversation. Lots of confident voices there – very useful for a team that’s lost so much experience over the last few years.
MIDFIELDERS
Maya Hahn – Viktoria Berlin, GER (10/1)
Grace Jale – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (38/10)
Katie Kitching – Sunderland, ENG (26/7)
Emma Pijnenburg – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (10/0)
Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland, DEN (7/0)
These games will take place after the final round of the A-League regular season but before the finals begin. That’s worth considering since most of the ALW players in this squad likely to be there. That’s what we want, it means that those players are doing the business for winning teams. Particularly Grace Jale and Emma Pijnenburg who have formed a wonderful yin-yang combination for the Nix. One big, one small. One long-range passer, one short-range passer. One rough, one crafty. They’ve been awesome and have really forced their way into being regular selections now. Both sneaky goal threats too.
As is Maya Hahn with her potential to curl in a worldie if given space. She hasn’t played a whole lot since the last window, which is unusual, though that could be related to her international travel. Already mentioned that Grace Wisnewski has done a couple games at centre-back but she’s always playing for FCN one way or another... they’re on the verge of qualifying for the Danish Cup final and are trying to find enough consistency to get back into European competition too. On that note, Malia Steinmetz came off the bench in the first leg of their semi-final... first appearance for her since tearing her ACL sixteen months ago. Amazing to see her back and if all goes to plan she could be in the squad whenever the Fernies are next in action. The same is true of Macey Fraser who had to take a bit of time out after a gruelling situation at her last club but she’s aiming to win a championship with the Nix now and remains capable of doing things like this...
For a team that infamously lacks goals, having midfielders capable of scoring is massive. None of them are prolific but all of them are capable. Grace Wisnewski has found the net in multiple competitions for FCN this season, including Champions League qualifiers. Jale and EP have each got a couple for the Nix. Only one goal for Hahn this season but we saw her score the winner against Costa Rica in just her second international cap. And if you like goals then you definitely like the highlight reels of Katie Kitching whose last two seasons for Sunderland have been crammed with bangers. Case and point...
Kitching wore the captain’s armband a couple times during the group phase, emphasising what an important player she’s become. Would be brilliant if she can grab a move to the WSL at some stage – Sunderland have been too erratic to challenge for promotion but the numbers she’s putting up must surely have caught some eyes. Kitching will play as the attacking midfielder in behind two strikers, a role she’s likely to alternate with Hannah Blake based on last window. Maybe a bit of Pia Vlok too (and we know Vlok’s got goals).
FORWARDS
Hannah Blake – Durham, ENG (10/3)
Kelli Brown – Newcastle Jets, AUS (11/4)
Milly Clegg – Vittsjö, SWE (23/4)
Jacqui Hand – FC Basel, SUI (37/9)
Deven Jackson – Melbourne City, AUS (7/1)
Charlotte Lancaster – Newcastle Jets, AUS (3/0)
Gabi Rennie – Eskilstuna United, SWE (45/2)
Indi Riley – Crystal Palace, ENG (37/9)
Pia Vlok – Wellington Phoenix, NZ/AUS (3/1)
Nice seeing a collection of forwards with a lot of goals to share, right? That’s what happens after a group stage lets us pad the numbers out. Kelli Brown is leading the scoring charts for these WCQs with four including a hatty against Samoa. Hannah Blake bagged a hat-trick against Solomon Islands in the very next game. Vlok and Jackson scored their only goals in those games. Widening the lens a bit, Grace Jale has scored all 10 of her goals against OFC opponents while Indi Riley has 8/9 goals in OFC games. Jacqui Hand (5/9 OFC) and Katie Kitching (3/7 OFC) are the two in this squad who buck the trend, having each scored four times against non-OFC nations. Gonna need to see this stuff carried into other games but for now the focus is Oceania World Cup Qualifying and the job of these women is to cash in where they can and take Aotearoa to the main event.
There is a slight issue in this position with match fitness. Jacqui Hand has settled into a starting role for FC Basel which is what we wanted to see – even if she’s yet to get that first goal contribution for her new club. Pia Vlok has thrilled every one with how she’s gone for Bev Priestman’s Welly Nix, earning a completely justified second call-up as a 17 year old. She’s here on merit. She’s the most exciting prospect we’ve got at the moment. Deven Jackson is playing a fair bit for Melbourne City so that’s good... but Kelli Brown and Charlotte Lancaster are in and out of the starting line-up for Newcastle and that’s where it starts getting frisky (although Brown scored a lovely double in a win most recently).
Hannah Blake’s barely played since Durham returned from their short winter break. That’s despite this stat from the latest Flying Kiwis roundup...
Durham with Hannah Blake on the pitch this season:
664 minutes | 12 goals scored (1.67 per90) | 12 goals conceded (1.67 per90)
Durham with Hannah Blake on the bench this season:
1066 minutes | 10 goals scored (0.84 per90) | 20 goals conceded (1.68 per90)
Can’t even patch together a stat like that for Indi Riley at Crystal Palace in the same division because she’s barely played all season. Very rude of them. At least she’s always fresh for the Ferns (and in her case at least Crystal Palace are good – currently on course for a promotion playoff trying to get back to the top tier whereas Durham are fending off relegation). That leaves Gabi Rennie and Milly Clegg who ought to be prominent players for their Swedish clubs this year except that league only just kicked off. Rennie played 73 minutes, Clegg got ten off the bench. They’ll be a bit underdone.
In terms of selections, it tends to be that Mayne picks one outright striker and one complementary forward (with the attacking midfielder also pushing up). Clegg and Brown are the two outrights and they alternated in that role during the group. It was Jackson, Blake, and Vlok who got the starts as the complementaries in that window – although Brown and Clegg have started together a couple times before (including the win against Venezuela). Jacqui Hand missed the last three tours so expect her to launch back into prominence, hopefully as a striker. Rennie, Lancaster, and Riley can all play up top though all are predominantly wingers and the make-up of this squad suggests they’re needed at wing-back much more.
There are goals within this crew... and these games against Oceania opposition should help them gain the confidence and combinations necessary to translate that into more difficult outings. Not that these ones can be taken lightly – that American Samoa team has a good chance of a rematch with the kiwis in the final and with their collection of USA-developed diaspora players they offered quite a challenge to the Ferns in the last match-up. Not only are there potential goals, there are also creators. Katie Kitching, Hannah Blake, Indi Riley, Gabi Rennie, Jacqui Hand, Deven Jackson... these are intelligent players who make things happen. Charlotte Lancaster’s crossing could have led to half a dozen assists during the last window.
But as encouraging as that may be... don’t forget this is a team on the rebuild and it’s in the attack where that’s most obvious. Nobody in this forward list has reached 50 caps yet. There’s a variety of ages - from 17yo Vlok to 27yo Jackson/Blake - and they’re all relatively untested at the top level. Our best pros are defenders, remember? It’s a work in progress... but the work is being done and there has been progress. There’s a good team taking shape here and if all goes to plan in April then they’ll be booking passage to the 2027 World Cup.
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