Wellington Phoenix defender Annabel Martin in action during a recent friendly against Sydney FC. Photo credit: Dan Ullman (Instagram - @aptitudephotography)

Mere months ago, the Wellington Phoenix A-League Women team was but a concept. An attempt to get a team off the ground a season earlier was scuppered by rules that would have forced New Zealand players to be registered as visa players. However, September brought the announcement that the club from New Zealand’s capital would become the tenth entry in the upcoming A-League Women season. Although much of the New Zealand talent had already been scooped up by other clubs, either in Australia or overseas, head coach Gemma Lewis has put together a team featuring some of the top emerging talent in both Australia and New Zealand, with the vast majority of players signing from either the New Zealand National League or NPL New South Wales.

A number of players are fresh off representing Under-17 or Under-20 national teams, so on paper the inaugural Phoenix squad looks to be one for the future. In saying that, a lot of these players have plenty of runs on the board at other levels of football, and may just spring a surprise or two.

Inaugural Squad

Goalkeepers:

Lily Alfeld (Perth Glory)
Brianna Edwards (Northern Tigers/University of Louisiana Monroe)

Defenders:

Mackenzie Barry (Northern Lights)
Charlotte Lancaster (Palmerston North Marist FC)
Annabel Martin (Injury Return/Sydney University)
Zoe McMeeken (Canterbury United Pride)
Kate Taylor (Canterbury United Pride)
Saskia Vosper (Northern Lights)

Midfielders:

Isabel Gomez (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Grace Jale (Wake Forest University)
Hannah Jones (Sydney University)
Chloe Knott (Northern Lights)
Te Reremoana Walker (Emerging Jets)
Alyssa Whinham (Canterbury United Pride)

Forwards:

Kelli Brown (Waikato-Bay of Plenty)
Jordan Jasnos (Football NSW Institute)
Ava Pritchard (Northern Lights)
Cushla Rue (Football NSW Institute)
Grace Wisnewski (Waikato-Bay of Plenty)

Coach

The current New Zealand Under 20s coach and manager of the Football Ferns Domestic Programme (FFDP), former Welsh international Gemma Lewis has carved out a highly successful coaching career in New Zealand, culminating in her rise to Phoenix head coach at the age of just 31. A National Women’s League winner in 2017 as coach of Auckland Football, Lewis was also assistant coach of the New Zealand side that secured third place at the 2018 Under-17 World Cup, as well as being part of the Football Ferns’ staff for the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Holder of an OFC A-Licence, Lewis’ qualifications and experience speak for themselves. She will manage a squad comprising a number of players that she has already coached at youth national team level or in the FFDP. That will provide some much-needed continuity for the Phoenix, something they dearly require given their significantly reduced lead-up time prior to their first game.

Key Defender

Although talented, the Phoenix defence is short on experience, which is something that former Melbourne Victory and Newcastle Jets fullback Annabel Martin provides. With 40 appearances under her belt since her debut for Victory in 2015, Martin was a regular in defence until 2018, but injuries have hampered her progress since then. Most recently, Martin suffered an ACL injury during Sydney Uni’s loss in the 2020 NPL New South Wales Grand Final, and her Phoenix debut will be her first competitive fixture since that day.

“Every team needs a player like Annabel on and off the pitch; someone who’s been in the trenches and is an experienced player in the A-League competition,” explained Lewis in an official club release, recognising the need for the Phoenix lineup to include players who have been there before at A-League Women level.

“We expect Annabel to not only contribute on the field for the Phoenix this season, but to be someone who can help show our younger players what it takes to succeed in the professional space.”

Although her A-League Women playing time has been limited in recent seasons, Martin has showed more than enough in previous years for fans to have faith that she will be a reliable member of the Phoenix backline. Her CV includes winning the Victory Medal in 2015/16 ahead of players such as Christine Nairn, Hayley Raso and Natasha Dowie. Seemingly overlooked by other clubs, Martin’s signing could be a masterstroke by the Phoenix if the Victorian can return to her previous A-League Women form.

Key Midfielder

A key member of the Georgetown University side that reached the NCAA Division I College Cup semi-finals in 2016, Chloe Knott completed an outstanding college career in 2017. Tallying 3 goals and 13 assists in 72 appearances for the Hoyas, Knott finished with 67 consecutive starts for a team that reached the NCAA Tournament in all four of her seasons with the program. A brief stint at FA Women’s Championship club Durham followed, for whom the Bolton-born midfielder made five league appearances before returning to New Zealand in 2019. She then joined Northern Lights for the 2019 and 2020 seasons and earned a nomination for New Zealand Domestic Player of the Year in 2020.

Having tallied her share of assists during her time at Georgetown, Knott has also shown she is just as comfortable finishing moves, slotting home five goals for Northern Lights in 2019 before adding another two in 2020’s shortened campaign. With a knack for finding the right pass at the right time and a willingness to do the dirty work when required, Knott could provide the consistent midfield service that the Phoenix’s young forward line will require if the team is to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis.

Intriguingly, Knott is not yet eligible to represent the Football Ferns, having not satisfied FIFA’s residency rule despite moving to New Zealand at the age of 13 and holding New Zealand citizenship. Whilst that eligibility unfortunately will not arrive in time for a home World Cup in 2023, the Phoenix’s move to Wollongong will not jeopardise Knott’s plans to gain eligibility by 2024, as she looks to ensure that club success results in a first national team call-up once her eligibility is secured.

Key Attacker 

With five promising young forwards in their inaugural squad, the Phoenix attack could well be doing their scoring by committee this season. However, Kelli Brown, among others, has shown her pedigree at both youth national team and New Zealand Women’s Premiership level in the past. The Hamilton Wanderers product’s winner in the tournament opener against Finland at the 2018 Under-17 World Cup was nominated for goal of the tournament. Brown added another in a 2-1 win over hosts Uruguay as New Zealand marched all the way to the semi-finals, eventually finishing third. Her scoring form continued into the 2019 Women’s Premiership season with Northern Lights, during which she tallied five goals including a screamer in the final that rivalled the goal against Finland.

With a definite penchant for goals from distance, Brown poses a threat from both short and long range, and defenders will need to be quick to shut down the 20-year-old before she eyes off yet another highlight reel-worthy goal. With long-time youth national teammate Grace Wisnewski potentially lining up alongside Brown, instant chemistry between the pair could be the ace up the sleeve for the Phoenix in their inaugural season.

Young Player to Watch

Choosing just one player in this category risks leaving out a bevy of other future stars, but Grace Wisnewski has been a player to keep an eye on since her coming-out party at the 2018 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, and perhaps even before then. Whilst Brown’s screamer against Finland may have started that tournament off in perfect fashion for New Zealand, it was Wisnewski’s brace in the third-place playoff against a Canadian side featuring future Olympic gold medallists Jordyn Huitema and Jayde Riviere that completed their spectacular run to a bronze medal. The second of those goals provided a perfect display of Wisnewski’s technical ability, hitting a bouncing ball over the goalkeeper for what proved to be the winner.

Like Brown, Wisnewski is happy to come deeper if required, but is an attacking player first and foremost. Exactly what role she is asked to play in her debut A-League Women season remains to be seen, but there is every chance that there will be moments of magic regardless of what position Wisnewski finds herself in.

Predicted Finish

Given just three months between the formation of the team and their first game, Wellington have put together a squad full of promising youngsters. Adding to this is a couple of players who have already shown themselves to be solid A-League Women contributors in Martin and 2020 Perth Glory Players’ Player of the Year Lily Alfeld, who was recently named the team’s inaugural captain. It would be unfair to place any real expectations on a side that has been put behind the eight-ball since their inception, but there is plenty of potential for the Phoenix to provide some real nuisance value if they catch a team on the right day.

This season may be one that sees the Phoenix creating a foundation from which to build on. With so many promising players in their first squad, to steal a quote from the new A-League theme song, the future’s looking real nice.

Lachy France
Lachy France
More of a numbers guru than a writer, Lachy France has provided statistical analysis for tournament guides produced by Equalizer Soccer, Women’s Soccer Zone, and The Women’s Game, as well as keeping fans across the FIFA Women’s World Rankings with his (almost) unfailing live calculations. Away from the spreadsheets, Lachy also covers Australians playing women’s soccer in the American college system on his own independent site, College Matildas.

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