The Wellington Phoenix are set to leave one of their players behind when they head off to Perth to play the Glory in round nine of A-League Women the weekend after next.
First, they will be looking to build on Monday’s 1-1 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers, when they head to Melbourne to play league leaders Western United on Saturday.
But after that comes a two-match stint where they have compromised their own campaign in order to help the Football Ferns, making moves coach Natalie Lawrence compared to solving a “crazy 3D jigsaw”.
The complicating factor is New Zealand Football’s decision to schedule two friendlies against the world champion United States on Wednesday, January 18 and Saturday, January 21, outside the Fifa windows where clubs have to make players available.
That left national team coach Jitka Klimková having to negotiate to lock in a squad – a task she has managed to accomplish with help from the Phoenix, who are only active in A-League Women thanks to significant financial support from NZ Football.
Lawrence confirmed to Stuff on Sunday that one of her players wouldn’t make the trip to Perth for the Phoenix match on Sunday, January 15, and would therefore be available to start for the Ferns against the US three days later.
She would not identify the player, with the Ferns squad yet to be named, but all signs point towards it being midfielder Betsy Hassett, one of two regular international starters in the Phoenix squad.
Forward Paige Satchell is the other, but she missed Monday’s draw with the Wanderers with a minor knee injury and Lawrence said afterwards that she would definitely be back against the Glory, if not on Saturday against Western.
Three other Phoenix players were regular fixtures in Ferns squads in 2022 – defenders Mackenzie Barry and Kate Taylor and forward Emma Rolston.
With Taylor set to return from an ankle injury against Perth at the earliest, it is understood she won’t be called up to the Ferns for the US matches. Her injury means Barry will be needed by the Phoenix at centre back in Perth, while the group of players readily available for the Ferns this month includes plenty of forwards, so there is less urgency to have Rolston or Satchell on hand.
Three other Phoenix players have been involved in Ferns squads without playing during Klimková’s time in charge – goalkeeper Lily Alfeld and midfielders Alyssa Whinham and Grace Wisnewski – while two others have been involved in squads without playing previously – forward Michaela Robertson and defender Marisa van der Meer.
Of that quintet, Wisnewski would be the most likely to join Barry, Rolston and Satchell in linking up with the Ferns after the Phoenix match in Perth, followed by van der Meer and Alfeld. Of the Phoenix players yet to receive a Ferns callup, defender Michaela Foster would be the most likely to be involved.
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Wellington Phoenix coach Natalie Lawrence has had to solve a “crazy 3D jigsaw” with regard to making her players available for the Football Ferns this month.
The Phoenix players that travel to Perth will spend the following Monday making the return trip to Wellington and while those called up by the Ferns are likely to sit on the bench against the US at Sky Stadium on the Wednesday, their involvement is set to be limited, if they feature at all.
There will be larger roles for some of them to play in the second match against the US at Eden Park in Auckland on the Saturday, though the Phoenix players are set to head to the airport straight after that match, in order to return to Wellington for the A-League Women visit by Canberra United on the Sunday, where their playing time for the Ferns will impact their involvement.
Lawrence said after Saturday’s match that the Phoenix had tried to have the Canberra match moved to the middle of the following week to no avail and that some of the other A-League Women clubs weren’t releasing their Ferns, decisions she described as “a shame”.
She earlier told Stuff: “It’s been like one of those crazy 3D jigsaws”.
“We’ve pretty much managed to make it work that everyone gets the best of all worlds while we are really sensible with player loading.
“The players themselves don’t want to miss out on Phoenix games and they also don’t want to miss out on games for the Ferns against the US.
“We feel like we’ve put together a pretty good jigsaw puzzle that doesn’t overly compromise either camp.”
The Ferns at other A-League Women clubs are forward Grace Jale at Canberra, defender Claudia Bunge at Melbourne Victory, defender Liz Anton at the Glory, defender Anna Green at Sydney FC, midfielder Malia Steinmetz at Western Sydney Wanderers and defender Katie Bowen and forward Hannah Wilkinson at Melbourne City.
Wanderers coach Kat Smith was asked about Steinmetz’s availability after her side’s draw with the Phoenix, but wouldn’t say whether she would be released.
