Wellington Phoenix head coach Paul Temple wants to leave the club on a high.
Temple will end his near 10-year association with the Phoenix after the women’s final round Ninja A-League match against Western United at Porirua Park on Easter Sunday.
It will be his 45th and last game in charge of the team, having signed on as head coach after the 2022-23 season following seven and a half years at the club’s academy, primarily as the technical director.
“I want to go out with a bang,” Temple told media on Thursday. “It’d be lovely to win, play some great football, score some goals and be able to celebrate at the end.”
In his two seasons he took the women from wooden spooners, who won just five matches in their first two campaigns, to top six contenders.
But ultimately Temple has been unable to guide Wellington to the finals.
The Nix finished eighth in his first season and the team entered the final round of the 2024-25 A-League in ninth place, seven points adrift of the top six.
He would have liked to have stayed on, but understands the club’s decision not to offer him a new contract.
“I’ve been here for nearly 10 years. It’s been a huge part of my life [and] my family’s life.
“We relocated to Wellington, and I’ve loved being here and I’ve loved working for the football club.
“But I also know that it’s the nature of first team football that it’s results driven and ultimately we haven’t been getting the results that we perhaps should of and are capable of.
“It’s my responsibility. We’ve come up short and I have to be responsible for it.”
Temple expects the players will play with greater freedom on Easter Sunday with the finals out of reach.
“I just want to see them be themselves, what we’ve built for the last two years in terms of playing style.
“I said to them this morning that I think the pressure of the last probably six must-win games has maybe restricted us a little bit and we haven’t played with the same fluidity that we’ve been known for in the previous season and a half.
“For me it’s about getting back to that, playing that style of football, enjoying the ball and attacking.
“We’ve got the ability to take the pressure off ourselves and enjoy the game.”
Paul Temple is looking forward to playing in front of the Yellow Fever at Porirua Park one more time.
The team has a proud record at the ground, having won 11 of their 18 matches.
“It’s been fantastic the last two seasons.
“I really look forward to every game at Porirua Park; the atmosphere that’s generated, the closeness of the fans and I’ve got some great memories of games there.
“It’s pretty amazing that we can all be together on the last day, family can be there and we can play at home.
“I know there will be a bit of a mixture of feelings. There will be some frustration, there will be some disappointment that we haven’t made it, but hopefully the overriding feeling is more of joy and we can celebrate what has been done.”
Temple has a settled squad to pick from with only long-term absentees Ella McCann, Aimee Danieli and Rebecca Lake unavailable for selection.
The final round Ninja A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Western United is scheduled to kick-off at Porirua Park in Wellington at 4pm Sunday and will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sport 2 in New Zealand and on Paramount+ and 10 Play in Australia.
Most recent meeting: 1 November 2024 – Western United 4 Wellington Phoenix 2
All-time A-League head to head: Phoenix 1W, Western 4W, 0D
Wellington Phoenix squad (two to be omitted): 2. Zoe MCMEEKEN, 3. Tiana JABER, 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 5. Alivia KELLY, 6. Maya MCCUTCHEON, 7. Grace JALE, 8. Amelia ABBOTT, 9. Olivia FERGUSSON, 10. Alyssa WHINHAM, 11. Manaia ELLIOTT, 13. Brooke NEARY (gk), 14. Mebae TANAKA, 15. Daisy BRAZENDALE, 16. Annalie LONGO (c), 19. Liv INGHAM, 20. Emma MAIN, 21. Lara WALL, 39. Carolina VILÃO (gk).
Unavailable: 18. Ella MCCANN (injured), 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk) (injured), 23. Rebecca LAKE (injured).
Western United squad (two to be omitted): 1. Alyssa DALL’OSTE (gk), 4. Claudia MIHOCIC, 5. Aimee MEDWIN, 6. Chloe BERRYHILL (c), 7. Kiara DE DOMIZIO, 8. Sasha GROVE, 9. Sara EGGESVIK, 11. Sandra IBARGUEN, 13. Avaani PRAKASH, 15. Adriana TARANTO, 16. Melissa TARANTO, 18. Grace MAHER, 20. Keiwa HIEDA, 22. Alana CERNE, 24. Julia SARDO, 28. Isabel DEHAKIZ, 34. Catherine ZIMMERMAN, 36. Chloe LINCOLN (gk).
Unavailable: Nil.
Main image: Paul Temple is all smiles ahead of a match at Porirua Park. Photo: Cam McIntosh/Photomac.
