The Wellington Phoenix Gazette
Player ratings5 Mar 2035
Tristan Parker, 20, steals the show — 7.80
Marked 7.80 at 20, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Player ratings5 Mar 2035
Nobody could get near Simon Harper
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The terraces5 Mar 2035
Wellington Phoenix supporters have found a favourite in Grant Fisher
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 21-year-old it feels ownership of. Grant Fisher has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Match3 Mar 2035
Wellington Phoenix see off Brisbane Roar
Three points for Wellington Phoenix, 1‑0 the final word against Brisbane Roar in a contest settled by the finer margins.
The dugout5 Mar 2035
The manager makes an example of Hugh Clark
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad5 Mar 2035
Declan Marshall stays put
“The easiest signature of my career.” Declan Marshall and Wellington Phoenix agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Mar 2035
Tempers go at Wellington Phoenix
Harrison Williams was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Mar 2035
Ben Ward named in the team of the month
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Ben Ward is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout5 Mar 2035
Aaron Reid: “That is the standard”
“That is what I want every week. Not the result, the way they went about it.” The manager, after 1‑0, already talking about the next one.
In brief
- The dugout Grant Fisher gets picked when it counts
- The dugout Rhys Robertson knocks on the manager's door
- Squad Tristan Parker, 20, is the weekend’s best young player