With the Wellington Phoenix A-League Women’s team now based in Wollongong, the inaugural squad continues to take shape with Australian players Brianna Edwards, Jordan Jasnos and Hannah Jones today signing with the team.
It’s great for the Club to have these three talented Australian players – all with Junior Matildas experience – onboard for the coming season. – Gemma Lewis.
Edwards is an 18-year-old goalkeeper who played in the Football New South Wales (FNSW) Institute programme last season. Edwards has been involved with both the Junior Matildas and Future Matildas programmes and in 2020 was selected into the NSW’s inaugural Women’s State team side for a ‘State of Origin’ clash against Queensland.
As a dual citizen, Edwards will be eligible to play for New Zealand at the U20’s Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in 2022.
Jasnos is an 18-year-old Australian attacker who has also progressed through the FNSW Institute setup – playing alongside Edwards last season – and in 2019 appeared in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship where she scored three goals over ten matches, including a match-winner against Vietnam which secured the Matilda’s qualification.
In June this year, Jasnos participated in the 2021 NSW All Schools Championships for Westfields Sports HS, earning a place on the All Schools Merit Girls Team, while also appearing with Edwards for NSW in the State of Origin match versus Queensland.
Jones, 19, has been involved with the Newcastle Jets development side since the age of 14 where she has trained alongside the Jets A-League Women’s team, before joining Sydney University FC for the 2021 WNPL Season. Jones also gained national attention in 2019, when she participated in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship held in Thailand.
Gemma Lewis says that all three players have shown they have the potential to become stand-outs at their respective positions.
“It’s great for the Club to have these three talented Australian players – all with Junior Matildas experience – onboard for the coming season,” says Lewis.
“Given their ages, what these three girls have achieved in the NSW football space over the past several years is impressive; they’ll now be taking the next step in their careers with the Phoenix and we’ll help them to continue developing their skills as professional players.”
The Phoenix Women’s squad now stands at 18 players heading into the pre-season, with the team’s first match scheduled for Friday 3 December versus Western Sydney Wanderers at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
Wellington Phoenix – 2021/22 Women’s Squad (as of 3 Nov 2021)
| Jersey # | Name | Nationality | Position |
| 1 | Lily Alfeld | New Zealand | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Saskia Vosper | New Zealand | Defender |
| 3 | Kate Taylor | New Zealand | Defender |
| 4 | Mackenzie Barry | New Zealand | Defender |
| 5 | Jordan Jasnos | Australia | Forward |
| 6 | Isabel Gomez | Australia | Midfielder |
| 7 | Chloe Knott | New Zealand | Midfielder |
| 8 | Grace Wisnewski | New Zealand | Forward |
| 9 | Ava Pritchard | New Zealand | Forward |
| 10 | Grace Jale | New Zealand | Midfielder |
| 11 | Kelli Brown | New Zealand | Forward |
| 12 | Brianna Edwards | Australia | Goalkeeper |
| 13 | Te Reremoana Walker | New Zealand | Midfielder |
| 14 | Cushla Rue | Australia | Defender |
| 15 | Zoe McMeeken | New Zealand | Defender |
| 16 | Hannah Jones | Australia | Midfielder |
| 19 | Charlotte Lancaster | New Zealand | Defender |
| 20 | Alyssa Whinham | New Zealand | Midfielder |
