The Wellington Phoenix are hoping to rediscover their best form at Porirua Park on Sunday.
The Phoenix are playing host to Western Sydney Wanderers, a week on from a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Adelaide United.
The result snapped the team’s five-match unbeaten run in Porirua.
“It was definitely the flattest performance of the season,” Phoenix head coach Paul Temple told media on Friday. “Especially at home where we’ve been full of energy, raring to go and taking it to the opposition and pressing high.
“We couldn’t really find that energy and that rhythm at all. It was a pretty disappointing performance, and we were all quite gutted.
“When you lose you want to lose going down fighting and playing your way and that was what was most disappointing about the weekend.”
Temple says there has been a positive response from the players this week.
“We had a good review, we had a good team meeting and a lot of things were said that needed to be said around the performance on Sunday.
“We’ve talked about…what we’re about, what we’ve been good at, what’s been getting us the success and what’s enabled us to perform in good ways.
“We’ve had a reaction but the most important thing is to see that on the pitch this Sunday.”
The crowd at Porirua Park were comparatively quiet last week and the Nix know it’s their role to get them in the game.
“It definitely wasn’t the same buzz in Porirua Park last week.
“It works both ways. If the team aren’t doing it the crowd don’t pick up and vice versa.
“The only way you can do that is to have that real positive energy on the pitch and create moments that get people excited and off their seat.
“Once that begins and you start having chances and goalscoring opportunities then the noise builds, and you get that momentum.
“It’s our responsibility to start that process and then hopefully the fans get excited and get behind us.”
Wellington entered the weekend four points adrift of the top six and with only six matches remaining Temple is aware time is running out for his team in its push for the finals.
“The weeks are going down and the more you don’t catch up the more you give yourselves to do.
“It’s not mathematically a must-win because we’re only four points away and teams around all those positions are not necessarily picking up points every week either so you don’t know how many wins it’s going to take to get you into the six.
“From our point of view we want to try to win every game and especially winning our home games.
“I think we’re all pretty disappointed with giving away that good record we had at Porirua. We have to start again and get back to winning ways.”
Paul Temple says the pressure to win games is starting to build, which is a relatively new experience for the team.
“This is the evolution of the team, the group, the club on the women’s side of the game.
“We’re trying to be that team that pushes so dealing with the pressure of having to win games is part of it if you want to go into the six.
“For us it’s a good challenge and we’ve been talking about how to embrace that pressure of winning games.
“We’ve got the ability, we’ve got the quality we’ve just got to go out and get the points on the board now.”
The Phoenix beat Western Sydney 3-0 in their last meeting in January to emphatically retain the Sister City Cup, but Wanderers have improved significantly under interim coach Geoff Abrahams and have won their last three matches.
“Now that he’s had that time to work with them.. you can see they’re good, they’re well-organised [and] they’ve got a plan.
“That’s credit to him and the job he’s done there.
“He’s really turned their fortunes around and they’re looking upwards now rather than over their shoulder.
“It’s definitely something that we need to be aware of but the main focus for us is just getting ourselves right and getting back to being the best versions of ourselves.”
The round 18 Ninja A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Western Sydney Wanderers is scheduled to kick-off at Porirua Park in Wellington at 4pm Sunday and will be broadcast free-to-air on Sky Open in New Zealand and LIVE on Sky Sport 3 in New Zealand and on Paramount+ and 10 Play in Australia.
Most recent meeting: 9 January 2025 – Western Sydney Wanderers 0 Wellington Phoenix 3
All-time A-League head to head: Phoenix 4W, Wanderers 1W, 2D
Wellington Phoenix squad (two to be omitted): 2. Zoe MCMEEKEN, 3. Tiana JABER, 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 5. Alivia KELLY, 6. Maya MCCUTCHEON, 8. Amelia ABBOTT, 9. Olivia FERGUSSON, 10. Alyssa WHINHAM, 11. Manaia ELLIOTT, 14. Mebae TANAKA, 15. Daisy BRAZENDALE, 16. Annalie LONGO (c), 17. Ela JEREZ, 19. Liv INGHAM, 20. Emma MAIN, 21. Lara WALL, 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk), 39. Carolina VILÃO (gk).
Unavailable: 7. Grace JALE (injured), 18. Ella MCCANN (injured), 23. Rebecca LAKE (injured).
Western Sydney Wanderers squad (two to be omitted): 3. Gemma FERRIS, 5. Milly BENNETT, 6. Amy CHESSARI, 7. Amy HARRISON (c), 8. Olivia PRICE, 9. Sophie HARDING, 10. Sienna SAVESKA, 11. Danika MATOS, 12. Bronte TREW, 13. Talia KAPETANELLIS, 14. Ella BUCHANAN, 15. Cushla RUE, 17. Milly CASSAR, 19. Talia YOUNIS, 20. Sham KHAMIS (gk), 23. Maya LOBO, 31. Keely SEGAVCIC (gk), 37. Ena HARADA.
Main image: Cam McIntosh/Photomac.
