The new kids on the block last season (with an emphasis on kids), Wellington Phoenix come into 2022-23 with a year of experience under their belt and a couple of high-level signings, including a Football Ferns legend. Will it be enough to lift them off the foot of the table in their second campaign?

Last Season

Things started promisingly for Wellington Phoenix in 2021-22, with a hastily arranged squad securing a 0-0 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers in their inaugural game in Wollongong. However, several heavy defeats followed in quick succession as a team forced to play all of its games away from home faced a tough initiation into the A-League. However, two victories late in the season over Canberra United and the Wanderers, combined with the emergence of several players including Alyssa Whinham, Kate Taylor, and Mackenzie Barry, gave the Phoenix faithful a few reasons to be optimistic heading into 2022-23.

Key Facts

Squad

Coach

Assistant coach in Season 1, Natalie Lawrence was elevated to the head coaching role following Gemma Lewis’ return to her homeland of Wales to take up a role with that country’s Football Association. Already part of the New Zealand national setup and with a season under her belt as Phoenix assistant, the head coaching transition under Lawrence should be fairly seamless for the Phoenix, even in spite of Lewis’ departure only two months ago. This is a squad filled with Junior Football Ferns alumnae and Lawrence has already played a significant role in the development of many of these players, which can only serve as a positive for the Phoenix heading into their second season.

Ins and Outs

INS

OUTS

Key Players

She made 64 appearances for the Cal Golden Bears over a decade ago, and has double that number for the Football Ferns. Yes, we’re talking about Betsy Hassett who has a long, storied career, having carved out an impressive trajectory across Europe since wrapping up her college stint in 2012. Now, the attacking midfielder returns home as a massive inclusion for the Wellington Phoenix side. No doubt already a hero to a number of the younger players in the side, the 128-time capped Hassett now becomes a mentor to those players. However, more than that, Hassett will slot straight into the starting lineup and provide some real attacking impetus for a team that finished second-bottom of the scoring charts in 2021-22, notching just 13 goals in 14 games.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix defence may have leaked 36 goals last season, but Kate Taylor nonetheless emerged as one of the defensive players to watch across the league. One of the main questions prior to the Phoenix’s inaugural season in the A-League was how the players with no experience at this level would adapt, but Taylor quickly silenced any sceptics with some outstanding performances. Having parlayed that form into a Football Ferns debut against Norway in June, it would come as a massive surprise if a defence led by Taylor conceded in excess of 2.5 goals per game again this season. That defence will only be strengthened by the marshalling of captain Lily Alfeld, who also earned a call-up to the Football Ferns over the most recent off-season. Although Alfeld is yet to receive her first cap as part of a stacked Kiwi goalkeeper depth chart, maintaining the same form she showed in 2022-23 would do no harm to her chances of a first cap and even making a late run at a World Cup roster spot.

Paige Satchell has already played for a team in one national capital, having plied her trade for Canberra United before winning a premiership with Sydney FC, and will double that number with her move to the Phoenix this season. A speedy forward with 26 caps under her belt for the Football Ferns, Satchell may not light up the scoreboard with goals on a regular basis, but can certainly provide more than able service to her more central teammates, and certainly isn’t entirely foreign to the concept of scoring goals.

One To Watch

You may have heard (or read) a certain chant about her first and second names, it’s Claudia Cicco! NPL New South Wales aficionados were baffled as to how the APIA Leichhardt defender hadn’t featured on an A-League Women’s roster last season, and even more confused when she didn’t show up on the squad list of a club closer to home this season. However, their loss is Wellington’s gain as the marauding fullback travels across the ditch to make her A-League debut. Having recently made her Young Matildas bow during the recent Pacific Four Nations tournament, Cicco is certainly starting to turn heads, and if given a chance for the Phoenix, it won’t be long until fans across the league like her – in fact, love her – as much as the fans at Lambert Park.

Prediction

Despite finishing with the wooden spoon in their inaugural season, the Phoenix garnered as many wins as Canberra United and Newcastle United, and more than Western Sydney Wanderers. There is little doubt they can lift themselves off the foot of the table in Season 2, as a season of A-League Women will certainly have prepared the team for the intensity of the league. Whilst finals may be a bridge too far, the advantage of finally playing at home combined with a roster that now has a full season of A-League Women’s play under their belt means a mid-table spot is not out of reach.

Fixture

As the only team based outside Australia, Wellington’s location acts as a double-edged sword in that every other team has to make the significant trip to New Zealand for an away game, but the Phoenix have to do the same for half of their games. Their draw this year is fairly balanced, with Melbourne City at home and Newcastle Jets away the two opponents that they face only once instead of twice this season. That game at Newcastle No.2 Sportsground in the penultimate round will be an ideal chance for revenge after the Jets put five past the Phoenix in the club’s second game last season.

The Phoenix also have three sets of back-to-back home games and two pairs of back-to-back away games; however, on occasion these are separated by either the holiday break or an international window.

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