After a long wait the Wellington Phoenix’s maiden Ninja A-League finals campaign has arrived.
The Phoenix will visit Brisbane Roar in the first leg of their semi-final on Sunday, a month to the day since their final regular season match against Adelaide United.
Head coach Bev Priestman was unable to hide her excitement for the finals when she spoke to media on Wednesday, when she celebrated her 40th birthday.
“I can’t wait,” Priestman said. “These are the arenas you want to be in. You want those games where every minute matters and every decision matters.
“For players those moments are what you live for. You want to be those settings.
“I’ve got out of bed this week with a bounce, I’m raring to go and this is where I come alive and I feel alive.
“So although I am 40, I feel 30 this week and I’m ready to roll.”
Priestman says the month between games has been torture, especially waiting until last weekend to learn the Roar were their opponents.
“What we do very well is prepare a group and we’ve done a lot of work on penalties, closing a game, chasing a game and all those sorts of things.
“Now it’s just on the team in front of us and tidying up some things.
“We played a game [last Friday] and it was very clunky given some of the players hadn’t played for three weeks.
“But at the end of the day it was really good for us. It was a really beneficial game and it’s dialled the team in a lot now going into this week.”
She is viewing the two legged semi-final as a 180 minute game.
“That is good for us. That takes away ‘now or never’. That’s the benefit of finishing where we finished and I would back us.
“We’ve had some blips in our season but across two games we’ve been consistent.
“We can have a poor game but generally we will bounce back so I feel really good going into this 180 minute game.”
So what would be a good outcome after 90 minutes?
“Of course a win, but tight. That’s the mindset. You don’t want anything to run away from ya.
“This team we’re not known for shipping a lot of goals, so I don’t want anything special I just want us to do the basics really well and be united to go into a very hostile environment.
“And if we do those things I think we’ve got enough in the team to get a win and absolute worse case a draw.
“We have to take care of the details and switch on in the moments. That’s a good halftime.”
The Roar are coming off an impressive 3-0 win over Adelaide United in their elimination final.
“I think they’re coming right at a really good time. They’re a dangerous team.
“They’ve scored some good goals and different goal from different positions, but they also can concede goals and that’s obviously what excites us.
“You saw in that Adelaide game there was…a lot of chaos. It’ll be about how we manage the moments and bring our calmness to that chaos.”
Bev Priestman has welcomed back Football Ferns fullback Lara Wall from a calf injury and there is mixed news for Emma Pijnenburg and Pia Vlok after they sustained injuries while on international duty.
Pijnenburg is “looking really good” after playing against Auckland United last Friday, while Priestman has her “fingers and toes crossed” for Vlok.
As a result, young midfielder Mikaela Bangalan has been promoted from the Phoenix academy and is in line to make her debut in the women’s maiden finals game.
The first leg of the semi-final between the Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar is scheduled to kick-off at Spencer Park in Brisbane at 7pm (5pm AEST) on Sunday and will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sport 2 in New Zealand, and on Paramount+ in Australia.
The club is putting on a watch party at Fraser Park, the home of the Wellington Phoenix, with doors open from 6pm.
Most recent meeting: 14 March 2026 – Wellington Phoenix 3 Brisbane Roar 0
All-time A-League head to head: Phoenix 3W, Roar 3W, 3D.
Wellington Phoenix squad (two to be omitted): 1. Victoria ESSON (gk), 3. Tiana JABER, 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 5. Ellie WALKER, 7. Grace JALE, 8. Macey FRASER, 11. Manaia ELLIOTT, 14. Lucía LEÓN, 15. Daisy BRAZENDALE, 16. Marisa VAN DER MEER, 21. Lara WALL, 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk), 23. Brooke NUNN, 24. Pia VLOK, 27. Zoe BENSON, 29. Mikaela BANGALAN, 30. Mackenzie ANTHONY, 31. Makala WOODS, 32. Emma PIJNENBURG.
Unavailable: 2. CJ BOTT (c) (pregnant), 6. Tessel MIDDAG (injured), 9. Sabitra BHANDARI (injured), 10. Alyssa WHINHAM (injured), 20. Emma MAIN (injured).
Brisbane Roar squad (two to be omitted): 1. Chloe LINCOLN (gk), 2. Angela BEARD, 4. Kijah STEPHENSON, 5. Aimee MEDWIN, 6. Ruby CUTHBERT, 7. Momo HAYASHI, 8. Josie STUDER, 11. Marianna SEIDL, 12. Tahlia FRANCO (gk), 13. Tameka YALLOP (c), 14. Zara KRUGER, 15. Kiera MEYERS, 17. Bente JANSEN, 18. Amali KINSELLA, 20. Stella CAMPBELL, 22. Ava PIAZZA, 27. Ashlyn MILLER, 32. Alicia WOODS, 47. Kyla HANSON.
Unavailable: 10. Grace KUILAMU (injured), 24. Sharn FREIER (injured), 23. Isabela HOYOS (injured).
Main image: Wellington Phoenix head coach Bev Priestman gives instructions during a training session at NZCIS. Photo: Cam McIntosh/Photomac.
