Wellington Phoenix are pleased to announce the addition of three Australian-based players for the upcoming A-League Women’s 2021/22 Season.
Te Reremoana Walker, Isabel Gomez and Cushla Rue have all agreed to one-year terms with the Club, and will join up with the Phoenix squad once the team arrives in NSW early next month.
Walker, a 17-year-old Kiwi midfielder, has been based in New South Wales since 2017, racking up over 100 matches played and 10 goals scored over five seasons in the NSW NPL Women’s competition.
Walker spent the 2020/21 Season in the Newcastle Jets Academy setup as they competed in the NSW NPL Women’s competition for the first time, and has also represented New Zealand as an under-17 international player.
Isabel Gomez, an 18-year-old Australian midfielder, joins the squad with A-League experience after spending last season with the Western Sydney Wanderers in the 2020/21 A-League Women’s competition – playing five matches.
Prior to this Gomez was a part of the Football NSW Institute, where she starred in the 2020 National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s season over 11 matches.
Cushla Rue is an 18-year-old Australian defender who has also played in the NSW NPL Women’s competition over four seasons for the Football NSW Institute, amassing 19 goals over 75 matches played.
In November 2020, Rue was named in the first-ever Women’s Talent Identification Camp in Canberra; this led to her being selected for the Young Matildas Squad Training Camp in June this year, after impressing Young Matildas head coach Leah Blayney.
Wellington Phoenix Head Coach, Gemma Lewis says that despite their age, all three players bring an intriguing mix of experience and potential to the squad.
“Mona [Te Reremoana] has been on the national team radar for a while so we know what she brings to the table; her time with the Jets has really helped her to grow over the last year,” says Lewis.
“And both Gomez and Rue impressed at the Football NSW Institute last season – with Gomez gaining valuable A-League experience and Rue pegged as a future Matildas star – so I’m excited to see how all three players can positively impact on this squad this year.”
Walker will take up the eleventh and final Kiwi spot in the Phoenix A-League Women’s squad, while Gomez and Rue are the Club’s first signings to be included in the APL-mandated seven Australian spots.
The Phoenix first ever A-League Women’s match is scheduled to be played against Western Sydney Wanderers on 3 December 2021.
