May 9, 2026 • 10 mins
Auckland FC aren't fazed by having to win in Adelaide to make the A-League grand final.
The Black Knights are deadlocked at one-all after the first leg of the two-leg semi-final.
Auckland FC assistant coach Danny Hay joined Piney to discuss further.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks edb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Auckland FC's A League semi final finally poised after a
tense one to one first leg draw with Adelaide United
at go Media Stadium last night.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
All square after the first leg. All to play for
six nights from now in the City of Churches. Tanks
emptied at go Media but we're only halfway there. Quiet
satisfaction probably from Erton Andreoli as he'll take the tie
(00:48):
back home level.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah. The Black Knights led through former Adelaide player lockey
Brook before the visitors hit back in the second half,
leaving everything to play for in one of the toughest
away trips in the competition. A second leg at Adelaide's
intimidating Cooper Stadium on Friday night. Great pleasure to welcome
in Auckland FC assistant coach Danny. Hey, Danny, you've given
(01:10):
it the overnight test. I know you've been together with
the playing group and the coaching staff today. What's the
overall feeling about the one to one result and the
performance of the team last night?
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Oh, look, result wise, pretty comfortable with it.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Obviously we would have liked to have taken a lead
in but you know, I think mentality wise, it's not
a bad thing for us.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
We know that we've got everything to play for.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
If I look back to last season and when we
brought a lead back home in the semi I don't
think with this group of players that it was such
a positive thing as you would think it would be.
We probably tried to defend that a little too much
rather than actually go out and try and win the game,
which obviously, now come Friday in Adelaid, we're going to
(01:54):
have to do.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
There seemed to be a real finals intensity about this game,
more physical, less space. Did it feel different from a
regular season match? Pretty much straight away last night.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
I think the last couple of weeks have you know,
you know when you're into finals football, the players can
sense it.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Obviously opposition as well.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
Yeah, right from the get go you could just see
the level of intensity, the level of concentration, the speed
of the game picked up considerably compared to a normal game.
So I thought our boys really equiped themselves particularly well.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
In the first half.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
I thought we were by far the better side, created
the better chances. Second half, you know, I thought they
came back into it a lot more, and obviously there
are quite a few disruptions with with some injuries for
a few of our boys, and we had to change
things up a little bit, which which.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Obviously didn't help the flow of the game.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
But that said, we got through that period and I
thought we finished the game quite strong as well.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Because you Mami was was you know, the scenes were
terrible watching him go off limping, you know, quite heavily.
You can never tell, I know how bad it is
on the night. Have you got any any update on him?
Is he any chance to feature again on from or
Beyond if you go that far.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Yeah, Look, we haven't had the scan as yet, but
it's not looking great for him at this stage, and
he's in quite a bit of discomfort. He's in a
moon boot, so it's not looking not looking promising. But
that said, you know, stranger things have happened. We can
only cross our fingers for Gashima. He's such an important
player for us. I thought he was playing particularly well
(03:32):
as well before the innocuous injury as well, But you know,
we can only hope the best. But he was devastated
and you can understand why when he came off so
it's just like I said, hoping that things can turn
around for him and he gets a little bit of luck.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
We'll keep our fingers crossed on that. Michael vaud came
up with a couple of big saves early on. He
has in recent games been massive for you. You know him, well, Danny,
is he producing some of the best football you've seen
from from Michael? You know? I mean he's right right
in the eye of the storm at the moment for
you guys, isn't he.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Yeah, Look, Michael, I know the quality of Michael possessions.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
He's a he's a he's a top goalkeeper. You just
look at him physically. He's got all the attributes.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
Of a of a modern day top class goalkeeper, and
he's and he's showing that on a regular basis. I
think the thing for that's always been for Michael is
just staying concentrated, staying in the moment, staying in the
game and not not losing those those little one or
two percenters. And he's and he's doing that consistently at
the moment. And I think the thing that has been
(04:37):
fantastic for him. I watched when Gordy took the goalkeepers
out onto the pitch at the beginning of the game,
he said, and the reception he got from the Port
fans in particular that were already in the stadium was tremendous.
And you you you would have seen it yourself. And
I think Michael's Michael's one of those players. I don't
like using the sort of phrase confidence player, but he
(04:58):
he very much lives in breeze on on when people
have belief in him. And when he got that sort
of reception, I could see just his chest when and
there's like he grew another foot or two. And you know,
he performed so well with some crucial saves early on
in the game that kept us in and allowed us
to swing the momentum in our favor.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
It's quite the redemption arc for him, isn't it. You know,
you think about that game against the Central Coast Mariners
when he led on a goal at the end that
he would be very disappointed worth and really couldn't get
off the pitch fast enough. Alli Soil comes in but
then gets injured Michael's back and you're so right, Danny.
You know the crowd have now embraced Michael Vaud and
you're right. He seems. I mean, goalkeepers are big anyway,
(05:38):
but he seems to have grown another foot. You know,
he's just spoken for that World Cup squad. Now, I reckon,
isn't he.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (05:45):
For me?
Speaker 4 (05:46):
For me, it would be at travesty if he didn't
make it. And that's just me being very very blunt
about it.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
He's I think, and knowing the state of the goalkeeping
ranks that we've got on the national team, the way
he's playing at the moment, he's one of the few
goalkeepers that is playing consistently at the top of his game.
So I'd be very surprised if he if he does
and make that squad. But look, he knows that he's
got at least one and hopefully two games to continue
(06:14):
to perform at the best of his ability for us,
and you know, nothing would be better than going into
a World Cup with a Grand Final victory under your belt.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Francis Devrez made a long awaited, not long wait, but
made a return last night, which was very encouraging to
see how big might he be if he you know,
he's got the minutes under his belt last night as
he head off to Cooper's and maybe a bigger role
for a player who's been massive for you over both seasons.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
Sorry, were you talking about Francis there? I just lost
you there for a second.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Definitely talking about Francis Devrees.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
Yes, yeah, yeah, I send that. So, yeah, it's great
to have Franny back. Everybody knows how important he is
to the side, not just what he does as a
defensive left back, but more what he produces for us
in an attacking sense, and a lot of a lot
of our opportunities that we create, the goals that we
score come down his side. His combination with Jesse Randall
(07:05):
has been exceptional over the course of this season. France
has got many assists as well. His set piece delivery
is obviously critical for us as well. So it was
really good to see him back and hopefully, hopefully that
will have done a world of good personally, just in
terms of his own belief and confidence that he's actually
over the injury now, which you know medically he is.
(07:28):
But you know, sometimes for players they just need to
get those those few minutes under their belt to really
understand that they're good to go again.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
So after Cooper's on Friday a cauldron, I know you've
spoken about it, as you know, one of the toughest
to wave venues. But I saw Jonathan Gould after the
game last night and he said, how good is this?
We get to go over there and make a Grand Final?
Is that the overriding of you know, kind of view
that you get from within the in the playing group.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
Absolutely like for us, for us, outside of playing at home,
Cooper's is the number one place to go and play,
and you know, it's why we haven't lost there over
a couple of seasons, and that's going to stay the
same in our opinion. We're very confident that we can
go over there and upset them. I watched some of
the Adelaide players at the end of the game celebrating
(08:15):
like they thought they were already through the Grand Final
after obviously picking up. They're very confident that they're gonna
take us to their home ground and get the win
that they that they desperately want. But you know, I
think our team away from home, particularly this year's team
the second season, we are we sent to galvanize. When
(08:36):
the chips are down a little bit, we come together.
The boys can sense those moments and they tend to
put on a really good collective performance in terms of
coming together as one and really shine what FC is about.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Big week ahead, massive game in coming on Friday. All
the best, Danny, thanks for chatting this afternoon, and yeah,
go well mate, we'll we'll be watching on Friday night.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Cheers Piney appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
No, I appreciate your time, Danny thinks. Indeed, Danny, Hey,
they're assistant coach of Auckland FC one one last night,
nine thirty five New Zealand time, this coming Friday, Cooper's
Stadium and Adelaide And as then he said, there, I
noticed the same thing. Actually last night there seemed to
be a bit of a I don't want to call
it an overreaction from the Adelaide United players, but it
(09:21):
was almost as though they thought, hey, we've got this.
We've held Auckland FC to one one at their place.
We'll go home now and win this. But then, as
I say, I spoke to Jonathan Guld, the assistant coach,
and I'm prompted. He just walked past and he goes,
how good is this? How good is the prospect of
going over there and winning a game over there to
(09:41):
make a Grand Final. They will be well up for this,
well up for this. That's not great news about Cuzumo
May though, with the ankle injury, it did not look
good at first look. Last night, I have to say
when he came off and you might have seen the
television footage of him being assisted down the tunnel afterwards,
he couldn't put any weight on that ankle at all.
(10:02):
He's in a moon boot. Look, he maybe need some
of Wassuki Niholo's he put around his knee or his
ankle ahead of the twenty fifteen World copy. Fiji and herbs.
That's right, Fiji herbs and it all came right. So
maybe Aukland FC need to get Giziomo Maai over to
Suva Rappers rappers ankle and Fiji and herbs, and who
(10:25):
knows he might be okay, we'll soon find out. Good
to see Francis de vreeseback, of course.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk said B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks edb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Auckland FC's A League semi final finally poised after a
tense one to one first leg draw with Adelaide United
at go Media Stadium last night.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
All square after the first leg. All to play for
six nights from now in the City of Churches. Tanks
emptied at go Media but we're only halfway there. Quiet
satisfaction probably from Erton Andreoli as he'll take the tie
(00:48):
back home level.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah. The Black Knights led through former Adelaide player lockey
Brook before the visitors hit back in the second half,
leaving everything to play for in one of the toughest
away trips in the competition. A second leg at Adelaide's
intimidating Cooper Stadium on Friday night. Great pleasure to welcome
in Auckland FC assistant coach Danny. Hey, Danny, you've given
(01:10):
it the overnight test. I know you've been together with
the playing group and the coaching staff today. What's the
overall feeling about the one to one result and the
performance of the team last night?
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Oh, look, result wise, pretty comfortable with it.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Obviously we would have liked to have taken a lead
in but you know, I think mentality wise, it's not
a bad thing for us.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
We know that we've got everything to play for.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
If I look back to last season and when we
brought a lead back home in the semi I don't
think with this group of players that it was such
a positive thing as you would think it would be.
We probably tried to defend that a little too much
rather than actually go out and try and win the game,
which obviously, now come Friday in Adelaid, we're going to
(01:54):
have to do.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
There seemed to be a real finals intensity about this game,
more physical, less space. Did it feel different from a
regular season match? Pretty much straight away last night.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
I think the last couple of weeks have you know,
you know when you're into finals football, the players can
sense it.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Obviously opposition as well.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
Yeah, right from the get go you could just see
the level of intensity, the level of concentration, the speed
of the game picked up considerably compared to a normal game.
So I thought our boys really equiped themselves particularly well.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
In the first half.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
I thought we were by far the better side, created
the better chances. Second half, you know, I thought they
came back into it a lot more, and obviously there
are quite a few disruptions with with some injuries for
a few of our boys, and we had to change
things up a little bit, which which.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Obviously didn't help the flow of the game.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
But that said, we got through that period and I
thought we finished the game quite strong as well.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Because you Mami was was you know, the scenes were
terrible watching him go off limping, you know, quite heavily.
You can never tell, I know how bad it is
on the night. Have you got any any update on him?
Is he any chance to feature again on from or
Beyond if you go that far.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Yeah, Look, we haven't had the scan as yet, but
it's not looking great for him at this stage, and
he's in quite a bit of discomfort. He's in a
moon boot, so it's not looking not looking promising. But
that said, you know, stranger things have happened. We can
only cross our fingers for Gashima. He's such an important
player for us. I thought he was playing particularly well
(03:32):
as well before the innocuous injury as well, But you know,
we can only hope the best. But he was devastated
and you can understand why when he came off so
it's just like I said, hoping that things can turn
around for him and he gets a little bit of luck.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
We'll keep our fingers crossed on that. Michael vaud came
up with a couple of big saves early on. He
has in recent games been massive for you. You know him, well, Danny,
is he producing some of the best football you've seen
from from Michael? You know? I mean he's right right
in the eye of the storm at the moment for
you guys, isn't he.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Yeah, Look, Michael, I know the quality of Michael possessions.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
He's a he's a he's a top goalkeeper. You just
look at him physically. He's got all the attributes.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
Of a of a modern day top class goalkeeper, and
he's and he's showing that on a regular basis. I
think the thing for that's always been for Michael is
just staying concentrated, staying in the moment, staying in the
game and not not losing those those little one or
two percenters. And he's and he's doing that consistently at
the moment. And I think the thing that has been
(04:37):
fantastic for him. I watched when Gordy took the goalkeepers
out onto the pitch at the beginning of the game,
he said, and the reception he got from the Port
fans in particular that were already in the stadium was tremendous.
And you you you would have seen it yourself. And
I think Michael's Michael's one of those players. I don't
like using the sort of phrase confidence player, but he
(04:58):
he very much lives in breeze on on when people
have belief in him. And when he got that sort
of reception, I could see just his chest when and
there's like he grew another foot or two. And you know,
he performed so well with some crucial saves early on
in the game that kept us in and allowed us
to swing the momentum in our favor.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
It's quite the redemption arc for him, isn't it. You know,
you think about that game against the Central Coast Mariners
when he led on a goal at the end that
he would be very disappointed worth and really couldn't get
off the pitch fast enough. Alli Soil comes in but
then gets injured Michael's back and you're so right, Danny.
You know the crowd have now embraced Michael Vaud and
you're right. He seems. I mean, goalkeepers are big anyway,
(05:38):
but he seems to have grown another foot. You know,
he's just spoken for that World Cup squad. Now, I reckon,
isn't he.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (05:45):
For me?
Speaker 4 (05:46):
For me, it would be at travesty if he didn't
make it. And that's just me being very very blunt
about it.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
He's I think, and knowing the state of the goalkeeping
ranks that we've got on the national team, the way
he's playing at the moment, he's one of the few
goalkeepers that is playing consistently at the top of his game.
So I'd be very surprised if he if he does
and make that squad. But look, he knows that he's
got at least one and hopefully two games to continue
(06:14):
to perform at the best of his ability for us,
and you know, nothing would be better than going into
a World Cup with a Grand Final victory under your belt.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Francis Devrez made a long awaited, not long wait, but
made a return last night, which was very encouraging to
see how big might he be if he you know,
he's got the minutes under his belt last night as
he head off to Cooper's and maybe a bigger role
for a player who's been massive for you over both seasons.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
Sorry, were you talking about Francis there? I just lost
you there for a second.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Definitely talking about Francis Devrees.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
Yes, yeah, yeah, I send that. So, yeah, it's great
to have Franny back. Everybody knows how important he is
to the side, not just what he does as a
defensive left back, but more what he produces for us
in an attacking sense, and a lot of a lot
of our opportunities that we create, the goals that we
score come down his side. His combination with Jesse Randall
(07:05):
has been exceptional over the course of this season. France
has got many assists as well. His set piece delivery
is obviously critical for us as well. So it was
really good to see him back and hopefully, hopefully that
will have done a world of good personally, just in
terms of his own belief and confidence that he's actually
over the injury now, which you know medically he is.
(07:28):
But you know, sometimes for players they just need to
get those those few minutes under their belt to really
understand that they're good to go again.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
So after Cooper's on Friday a cauldron, I know you've
spoken about it, as you know, one of the toughest
to wave venues. But I saw Jonathan Gould after the
game last night and he said, how good is this?
We get to go over there and make a Grand Final?
Is that the overriding of you know, kind of view
that you get from within the in the playing group.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
Absolutely like for us, for us, outside of playing at home,
Cooper's is the number one place to go and play,
and you know, it's why we haven't lost there over
a couple of seasons, and that's going to stay the
same in our opinion. We're very confident that we can
go over there and upset them. I watched some of
the Adelaide players at the end of the game celebrating
(08:15):
like they thought they were already through the Grand Final
after obviously picking up. They're very confident that they're gonna
take us to their home ground and get the win
that they that they desperately want. But you know, I
think our team away from home, particularly this year's team
the second season, we are we sent to galvanize. When
(08:36):
the chips are down a little bit, we come together.
The boys can sense those moments and they tend to
put on a really good collective performance in terms of
coming together as one and really shine what FC is about.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Big week ahead, massive game in coming on Friday. All
the best, Danny, thanks for chatting this afternoon, and yeah,
go well mate, we'll we'll be watching on Friday night.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Cheers Piney appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
No, I appreciate your time, Danny thinks. Indeed, Danny, Hey,
they're assistant coach of Auckland FC one one last night,
nine thirty five New Zealand time, this coming Friday, Cooper's
Stadium and Adelaide And as then he said, there, I
noticed the same thing. Actually last night there seemed to
be a bit of a I don't want to call
it an overreaction from the Adelaide United players, but it
(09:21):
was almost as though they thought, hey, we've got this.
We've held Auckland FC to one one at their place.
We'll go home now and win this. But then, as
I say, I spoke to Jonathan Guld, the assistant coach,
and I'm prompted. He just walked past and he goes,
how good is this? How good is the prospect of
going over there and winning a game over there to
(09:41):
make a Grand Final. They will be well up for this,
well up for this. That's not great news about Cuzumo
May though, with the ankle injury, it did not look
good at first look. Last night, I have to say
when he came off and you might have seen the
television footage of him being assisted down the tunnel afterwards,
he couldn't put any weight on that ankle at all.
(10:02):
He's in a moon boot. Look, he maybe need some
of Wassuki Niholo's he put around his knee or his
ankle ahead of the twenty fifteen World copy. Fiji and herbs.
That's right, Fiji herbs and it all came right. So
maybe Aukland FC need to get Giziomo Maai over to
Suva Rappers rappers ankle and Fiji and herbs, and who
(10:25):
knows he might be okay, we'll soon find out. Good
to see Francis de vreeseback, of course.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk said B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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