December 7, 2024 • 10 mins
Auckland FC's dream A-League run continues, as they beat out the Wellington Phoenix in their latest rematch.
The Auckland side defeated the Phoenix 2-1, in front of a record 26,253 crowd fuelled by a contingent of Wellington fans.
NZ Herald sports reporter Michael Burgess joined Piney to discuss the 'amazing' atmosphere leading up to the win.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
He joins us, Now, Birch, can we start with the
occasion yesterday?
Speaker 3 (00:16):
How would you describe it?
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Get our Pony?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (00:20):
I thought it was amazing. I really did, Like like
sometimes these things might not quite live up to the hype,
and there's a lot of hype ahead of this match,
but it truly did. It was just we were talking
after the game, weren't we It didn't really feel like
New Zealand. It felt that we were somewhere else, were
in Argentina or England or somewhere where fans go a
(00:41):
bit crazy. Because the singing, the chanting, the band, to
the emotion, there was really something special in the air.
The large continuent of Phoenix fans, probably about fifteen hundred.
I imagined they really made the occasion. I thought because
they were providing, you know, that section of away fans.
(01:01):
You don't often get New Zealand's sporting contest. So that
was magic and I don't know everything about it. And then,
as you just said, the game kind of lived up
to it as well. Sometimes derby games can be stalemate,
can be very tight but it's pretty open, lots of action.
So yeah, it was just a wonderful and quite a
(01:22):
novel occasion.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Yeah it was.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
And I've been trying to unpick exactly how this has
happened so quickly.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
The Darby you think you're right.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I think we're going to give crud off to the
traveling fans and when you're you know, around the world.
That's often what makes an occasion like a football game,
you know, really fizz is the fact that there are
some away fans who make a lot of noise.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
But how have Auckland FC.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So quickly generated this fan base that is so different
from I think that's probably I don't think Yellow Fever
is it took them ages to get to you know,
to get to the sweet spot of their life.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
How have Aukland FC done it so quickly?
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yeah, that's one of the big questions, isn't it. I
mean Yellow Fever did provide a template, So you've got
to give credit. It's the Yellow Fever because they've provided
you know, they've shown what what real passionate fandom is about.
But as you say, it built up over a long time.
Awkanle said, we're very smart. They engage with the port
very early. They've got a very heavy presence on social media,
(02:23):
so they've tapped into to that sort of young market
and most of the port from what I see, are
quite young. The results have helped, and Mount Smart is
quite a good setup for creating that atmosphere. But it's
pretty amazing Piney that people care so much about this
team already. You know, it's not it's not it's not fake.
(02:46):
It's really genuine. And the other thing that I'm equally
is amazed about is this rivalry, Like it's it's so new.
You know, played their first game two months less than
two months ago. They've only been in distance for less
than a year, so it's so new, this rivalry, but
it feels really genuine between these two clubs. Normally these
things take a while at the developed, but this is
(03:09):
I don't know, it feels like it's one of the
best rivalries in New Zealand sport. It really does.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Oh look, I could not agree more. I read that
in your piece this morning, and you're so right. The
tension between these clubs, you know, the back and forth
during a week, and also what happened on the park.
I mean, you could see just one example, yesterday Alex
Ruffer and and you know, coming together with Louis Toomey
after something to Me did in the last derby. It
feels as though, you know, the narrative is already being written,
(03:36):
and I think everybody's now wondering when the next one is.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Yeah, I mean, I just I just wish there was
four derbies this season, like another one and willing to
and really top it off. But you're exactly right, because
because we wondered if we truly see this this made
against mate thing that you see in the Manchester Derby,
the Liverpool Derby, all these other ones. But we did
you know, the first five minutes yesterday, cost of Barbaroussis
(04:02):
barreled and Tornando Pineker barreled him over. And they've been
teams in the wits for years, you know, I'm sure
they're good friends, have been playing together for five six years.
But you know, Costs were in yellow, Nandez were in blue,
and when you cross that white line, it all changes.
So I just I just think that the recipe is
(04:24):
already there. It's a it's a Marketer's dream. And like
you say, there's already narratives around this. There's already narratives around,
you know, the Phoenix keeper having a couple of unfortunate moments.
There's already a couple of villains, and there's a couple
of heroes, so it's just unfolding, unfolding perfectly.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Did you think Auckland FC deserved to win the game?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
They did? They did? I think they were they were
the they were the better team. They handled the occasion
a bit better. Again, it's felt that the occasion got
to the Phoenix to some degree, but also felt for
the Phoenix. I think they'll leave with some regrets. If
that game had ended a draw, people would have been saying, yeah, okay,
(05:09):
that's probably fair enough too. So I thought the Phoenix
played a lot better than they did in Wellington. They
created some good some good moments, but you know, two
really unfortunate, probably poor goals to concede in this type
of game, especially the first one that's so deflating. So
(05:32):
it felt like they didn't bring their best again, some
of the some of their senior players let them down.
Auckland went, Auckland went perfect, but they were just they
were just a bit more together when it mattered.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
They did consider goal.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Finally, it was interesting afterwards they won the game, but
you know, listening to the thoughts of Dan Hall, for example,
who actually held his hand up to say, look, I
gave the ball away that led to Wellington's goal, that
they were disappointed that this long clean sheet streak, that
that fashion had finally come to an end. I guess
that speaks to to something deeper than the side when
even in victory you're still a bit disappointed.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Yeah, I think it does. They were so proud of
this clean sheet streak because it's pretty amazing. Anyone who
follows football knows how hard it is to keep that
sort of thing going, and the Defenders club in particular,
we're just loving the fact that they hadn't conceded, so
for one of them to be at fault, they took
it pretty hard. And also because they'd made it till
(06:32):
the eighty first, eighty second minute, hadn't they, so so
we're all we're going to do it again. But it
does show the just the level that Auckland have brought
to this in terms of the standards. You know, they
look back to your other question, it is quite amazing,
not just the fact that Auckland have built this fan base,
(06:54):
but also what they built on the field. You know,
they've built this culture, this cohesion, this environment. It sort
of still feels to me this season that actually Wellington
feels like the newer team. It feels that to me,
Wellington will take longer to gel this season and the
Phoenix get a lot better, but they're still they're still
gelling because they fair enough, they did have that massive
(07:17):
turnover players in the off season. But yeah, it feels
like Auckland have found their structure faster.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
After the game. In the postmatch media conference that you
and I were both at, Auckland coach Steve Coricker called
his Phoenix counterpart gian Calo Italiano disrespectful in the wake
of some comments that Jihn Callo Italiana made during the week.
Steve Corker said he used them as pre match motivation
for his squad. Pin them up on the dressing room wall,
(07:45):
no less burds. What did you make of all of that?
Speaker 4 (07:49):
I mean, you know, for us in the media and
for fans, it's it's great. And we talk about narratives,
this is another one, you know, the good old putting
them up in the wall. We kind of thought those
days were you know, that's just sort of from the
the eighties and nineties. Look at what those bastards said
about us. But still it still works. And as Craker
said in a derby, every little inch matters, and that
(08:14):
was definitely definitely motivation. Uh and and you know the
other thing about this is that gin Carlo and Steve
are you know, they've known each other a long time.
They're kind of you know, they're not I guess they're
not mates at the moment, but but they've been you know,
acquaintances and kind of friends. So so that's probably what
really got to Caracer as well, was he thought, wait
(08:36):
a minute, you know, we we deserve a bit more respect.
There was an interesting thing to say. But but I
like gin Carlo because he's very honest. He's very honest,
and that that definitely spiced up the derby. You wouldn't
want him to lose a bit of that honesty. But yeah,
I guess you can debate you can debate his comments.
The main thing he was saying, maybe the word lucky
was a bit, a bit I'm not right to use,
(08:59):
but he was mainly just saying that the Auckland had
benefited from a from what he sees as a soft
schedule to start the season, which is given them this
this momentum. And obviously Corker took umbrage at that as
well as some other comments. But yeah, that that topped
off the night, didn't it, Because you've got things that
you just do not normally hear coaches say in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Sports absolutely going to play Corricer's comments in just a
moment just to Finnish thy Burge. Are Auckland FC actually
title contenders in their first season?
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Yeah? We we probably didn't think that, you know, I
remember speaking to you about this a few months ago, Piney,
and we sort of thought, you know, they've got a
good roster. But you know, it's way too much to ask. Look,
it's it's way too early to to really know. But
I've done everything they can to be taken seriously. I
(09:51):
mean there's a couple of things you'd say. Number one,
no team is going to want look forward to coming
to Mount Smart and there's really not many teams that
you can see that are going to take points from
Mount Smart. If Auckland keep up these levels. You know
they've got big tests away in Melbourne City this week.
But if they get through that then they've got Western
(10:12):
United at home the week after. They'll they'll get past
Christmas still unbeaten. So you know, momentum is a big thing.
At some stage, I'll hit the wall with injuries, with
maybe a suspension. And also they look like they look
like a super fitteen. The fitness base has been incredible
and sometimes when you're so fit to start the season,
at some point later in the season, maybe you know
(10:34):
that that takes a toll, but you'd have to say
they are there in the mix. And the thing that
the scary thing is for their opponents is you know
they're only going to get better.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Yes, indeed, a frightening thought. Hey, bird's great to see yesterday.
Thanks for taking ak all this afternoon. We'll see in
a couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Yeah, thanks Pinning, Thanks a lot.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk ZB weekends from midday or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
He joins us, Now, Birch, can we start with the
occasion yesterday?
Speaker 3 (00:16):
How would you describe it?
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Get our Pony?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (00:20):
I thought it was amazing. I really did, Like like
sometimes these things might not quite live up to the hype,
and there's a lot of hype ahead of this match,
but it truly did. It was just we were talking
after the game, weren't we It didn't really feel like
New Zealand. It felt that we were somewhere else, were
in Argentina or England or somewhere where fans go a
(00:41):
bit crazy. Because the singing, the chanting, the band, to
the emotion, there was really something special in the air.
The large continuent of Phoenix fans, probably about fifteen hundred.
I imagined they really made the occasion. I thought because
they were providing, you know, that section of away fans.
(01:01):
You don't often get New Zealand's sporting contest. So that
was magic and I don't know everything about it. And then,
as you just said, the game kind of lived up
to it as well. Sometimes derby games can be stalemate,
can be very tight but it's pretty open, lots of action.
So yeah, it was just a wonderful and quite a
(01:22):
novel occasion.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Yeah it was.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
And I've been trying to unpick exactly how this has
happened so quickly.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
The Darby you think you're right.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I think we're going to give crud off to the
traveling fans and when you're you know, around the world.
That's often what makes an occasion like a football game,
you know, really fizz is the fact that there are
some away fans who make a lot of noise.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
But how have Auckland FC.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So quickly generated this fan base that is so different
from I think that's probably I don't think Yellow Fever
is it took them ages to get to you know,
to get to the sweet spot of their life.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
How have Aukland FC done it so quickly?
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yeah, that's one of the big questions, isn't it. I
mean Yellow Fever did provide a template, So you've got
to give credit. It's the Yellow Fever because they've provided
you know, they've shown what what real passionate fandom is about.
But as you say, it built up over a long time.
Awkanle said, we're very smart. They engage with the port
very early. They've got a very heavy presence on social media,
(02:23):
so they've tapped into to that sort of young market
and most of the port from what I see, are
quite young. The results have helped, and Mount Smart is
quite a good setup for creating that atmosphere. But it's
pretty amazing Piney that people care so much about this
team already. You know, it's not it's not it's not fake.
(02:46):
It's really genuine. And the other thing that I'm equally
is amazed about is this rivalry, Like it's it's so new.
You know, played their first game two months less than
two months ago. They've only been in distance for less
than a year, so it's so new, this rivalry, but
it feels really genuine between these two clubs. Normally these
things take a while at the developed, but this is
(03:09):
I don't know, it feels like it's one of the
best rivalries in New Zealand sport. It really does.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Oh look, I could not agree more. I read that
in your piece this morning, and you're so right. The
tension between these clubs, you know, the back and forth
during a week, and also what happened on the park.
I mean, you could see just one example, yesterday Alex
Ruffer and and you know, coming together with Louis Toomey
after something to Me did in the last derby. It
feels as though, you know, the narrative is already being written,
(03:36):
and I think everybody's now wondering when the next one is.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Yeah, I mean, I just I just wish there was
four derbies this season, like another one and willing to
and really top it off. But you're exactly right, because
because we wondered if we truly see this this made
against mate thing that you see in the Manchester Derby,
the Liverpool Derby, all these other ones. But we did
you know, the first five minutes yesterday, cost of Barbaroussis
(04:02):
barreled and Tornando Pineker barreled him over. And they've been
teams in the wits for years, you know, I'm sure
they're good friends, have been playing together for five six years.
But you know, Costs were in yellow, Nandez were in blue,
and when you cross that white line, it all changes.
So I just I just think that the recipe is
(04:24):
already there. It's a it's a Marketer's dream. And like
you say, there's already narratives around this. There's already narratives around,
you know, the Phoenix keeper having a couple of unfortunate moments.
There's already a couple of villains, and there's a couple
of heroes, so it's just unfolding, unfolding perfectly.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Did you think Auckland FC deserved to win the game?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
They did? They did? I think they were they were
the they were the better team. They handled the occasion
a bit better. Again, it's felt that the occasion got
to the Phoenix to some degree, but also felt for
the Phoenix. I think they'll leave with some regrets. If
that game had ended a draw, people would have been saying, yeah, okay,
(05:09):
that's probably fair enough too. So I thought the Phoenix
played a lot better than they did in Wellington. They
created some good some good moments, but you know, two
really unfortunate, probably poor goals to concede in this type
of game, especially the first one that's so deflating. So
(05:32):
it felt like they didn't bring their best again, some
of the some of their senior players let them down.
Auckland went, Auckland went perfect, but they were just they
were just a bit more together when it mattered.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
They did consider goal.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Finally, it was interesting afterwards they won the game, but
you know, listening to the thoughts of Dan Hall, for example,
who actually held his hand up to say, look, I
gave the ball away that led to Wellington's goal, that
they were disappointed that this long clean sheet streak, that
that fashion had finally come to an end. I guess
that speaks to to something deeper than the side when
even in victory you're still a bit disappointed.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Yeah, I think it does. They were so proud of
this clean sheet streak because it's pretty amazing. Anyone who
follows football knows how hard it is to keep that
sort of thing going, and the Defenders club in particular,
we're just loving the fact that they hadn't conceded, so
for one of them to be at fault, they took
it pretty hard. And also because they'd made it till
(06:32):
the eighty first, eighty second minute, hadn't they, so so
we're all we're going to do it again. But it
does show the just the level that Auckland have brought
to this in terms of the standards. You know, they
look back to your other question, it is quite amazing,
not just the fact that Auckland have built this fan base,
(06:54):
but also what they built on the field. You know,
they've built this culture, this cohesion, this environment. It sort
of still feels to me this season that actually Wellington
feels like the newer team. It feels that to me,
Wellington will take longer to gel this season and the
Phoenix get a lot better, but they're still they're still
gelling because they fair enough, they did have that massive
(07:17):
turnover players in the off season. But yeah, it feels
like Auckland have found their structure faster.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
After the game. In the postmatch media conference that you
and I were both at, Auckland coach Steve Coricker called
his Phoenix counterpart gian Calo Italiano disrespectful in the wake
of some comments that Jihn Callo Italiana made during the week.
Steve Corker said he used them as pre match motivation
for his squad. Pin them up on the dressing room wall,
(07:45):
no less burds. What did you make of all of that?
Speaker 4 (07:49):
I mean, you know, for us in the media and
for fans, it's it's great. And we talk about narratives,
this is another one, you know, the good old putting
them up in the wall. We kind of thought those
days were you know, that's just sort of from the
the eighties and nineties. Look at what those bastards said
about us. But still it still works. And as Craker
said in a derby, every little inch matters, and that
(08:14):
was definitely definitely motivation. Uh and and you know the
other thing about this is that gin Carlo and Steve
are you know, they've known each other a long time.
They're kind of you know, they're not I guess they're
not mates at the moment, but but they've been you know,
acquaintances and kind of friends. So so that's probably what
really got to Caracer as well, was he thought, wait
(08:36):
a minute, you know, we we deserve a bit more respect.
There was an interesting thing to say. But but I
like gin Carlo because he's very honest. He's very honest,
and that that definitely spiced up the derby. You wouldn't
want him to lose a bit of that honesty. But yeah,
I guess you can debate you can debate his comments.
The main thing he was saying, maybe the word lucky
was a bit, a bit I'm not right to use,
(08:59):
but he was mainly just saying that the Auckland had
benefited from a from what he sees as a soft
schedule to start the season, which is given them this
this momentum. And obviously Corker took umbrage at that as
well as some other comments. But yeah, that that topped
off the night, didn't it, Because you've got things that
you just do not normally hear coaches say in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Sports absolutely going to play Corricer's comments in just a
moment just to Finnish thy Burge. Are Auckland FC actually
title contenders in their first season?
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Yeah? We we probably didn't think that, you know, I
remember speaking to you about this a few months ago, Piney,
and we sort of thought, you know, they've got a
good roster. But you know, it's way too much to ask. Look,
it's it's way too early to to really know. But
I've done everything they can to be taken seriously. I
(09:51):
mean there's a couple of things you'd say. Number one,
no team is going to want look forward to coming
to Mount Smart and there's really not many teams that
you can see that are going to take points from
Mount Smart. If Auckland keep up these levels. You know
they've got big tests away in Melbourne City this week.
But if they get through that then they've got Western
(10:12):
United at home the week after. They'll they'll get past
Christmas still unbeaten. So you know, momentum is a big thing.
At some stage, I'll hit the wall with injuries, with
maybe a suspension. And also they look like they look
like a super fitteen. The fitness base has been incredible
and sometimes when you're so fit to start the season,
at some point later in the season, maybe you know
(10:34):
that that takes a toll, but you'd have to say
they are there in the mix. And the thing that
the scary thing is for their opponents is you know
they're only going to get better.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Yes, indeed, a frightening thought. Hey, bird's great to see yesterday.
Thanks for taking ak all this afternoon. We'll see in
a couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Yeah, thanks Pinning, Thanks a lot.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk ZB weekends from midday or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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