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November 7, 2025 11 mins

The Wellington Phoenix men seek a first A-League win over Auckland FC in the first Kiwi derby of the season at Sky Stadium on Saturday night.

Adam Cooper caught up with striker Corban Piper and defender Dan Williams in the Newstalk ZB studio ahead of the match.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's get straight into it when we're talking today's huge
Wellington Phoenix double header at Sky Stadium. The sun's out
this morning, which is great news, and I guess there
was plenty of hype around the new KIWI men's derbies
in the A League football competition last season. Of course,
Auckland's the new kids on the block, came along and
certainly got the better of the Phoenix with a clean
sweep of their first KIWI matchups last year. Well the

(00:24):
new season has arrived and the Phoenix have their first
chance of redemption with the first of the season's three
derbies tonight at Sky Stadium from seven o'clock. Pretty exciting
given both teams now come into this fixture unbeaten from
the first three rounds, so a lot of hope around
Wellington that this could be the Phoenix's time to get

(00:46):
their win over Auckland. Be lucky enough to be joined
by two Phoenix men's players in studio this morning, ironically
two auckland Is, but we won't hold that against them
because there are Phoenix colors informed striker Corbyn Piper and
new signing in the off season Dan Edwards, who's a defender.
Morning to both of you guys, Thanks for coming in.
Corbin will start with you. I mentioned that unbeaten after

(01:07):
three rounds. How encouraged is the team from the start
of the competition heading into a big game like this one.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, yeah, I think being undefeated for the first three
games really gives us good motivation into this weekend. And yeah,
hopefully we can keep at it and hopefully get the
win this weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
What's been key to the team keeping a zero loss
record so far three games in? Do you think what
sort of clicked so far this season that's contributed to
some points from every game?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
I think just the willingness to work for each other,
like everyone's we're a real team at the moment, we're
ready to battle for each other, and yeah, we're just
really together. And yeah, that's basically Dan.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Tell us about your arrival to the Phoenix, how it's
all sort of come together for you and you've linked
up with the team now a head of a big season.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, came in was like six seven weeks ago.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Now really enjoyed it.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
Honestly has been great bit of her lifestyle change, but
a pretty good one. You know, every day is a
pretty good day to be honest I got no complaints. Honestly,
it's been it's been really nice, really fun, great, great
group of boys, great coaching stuff, you know, everything, everything's
really really.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Good, awesome. So tell us how it all happen. So
is the story goes, Chief, he saw you over in Australia,
but clearly you haven't got an Australian accent. So how's
your sort of football journey to that and then back here?

Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yeah? So obviously originally I'm born up in Auckland. I
live just grew up just around the corner from course. Yeah,
so I know him quite well. I went over to Melbourne.
I think it was twenty twenty one. Yeah, I went
over there. I just wanted to try something a bit different,
live somewhere different, and then I kind of settled in
quite nicely over there. Done al right, Yeah, I think

(02:46):
Chief he came over for a game this year. I
didn't know it was there at all until after the game.
I think it was our president, Tommy's someone from the Phoenix.
I didn'tven tell me it was Chiefly until Chief was
on the phones. I came and watched and I was like, oh,
I had no idea it was you. So I think
it was a blessing. I didn't I had no idea.
I kind of just went about my game as I
usually would. Luckily, I would say, luckily, Yeah, it was
I had to put on this solid performance, so yeah,

(03:07):
and it kind of just floating from there. Had to
wait till the season finished over an Oz and then
kind of as soon as that was done, then it
was a week, week and a bit to organize my
life over there, get that all ready and get on
over and get stuck into it.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Her great must have been a pretty exciting kind of
opportunity for you to be like, yeah, I'm packing up
everything for now from over there to get over here.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah, definitely, you know, being you know, I'm twenty seven,
so it was a great opportunity and it doesn't come
around very often, so, you know, getting to the about
your dreams something not many people can really say they do.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Corben, a great season for you last year. I guess
you come into the season now established member of the
Phoenix team. What kind of aims have you set for
yourself this year so far?

Speaker 2 (03:47):
I think, just after being injured in pre season, my
goal at the moments to get fully fit and ready
and into the starting lineup, and I want to score
more goals. That's that's the target for the season. I
want assist and score as many goals as possible, and
obviously as a team goal, I really want to win
the league, like that's obviously every team's goal, and if not,

(04:09):
that definitely top six for me.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
Yeah, the energy you brought on in that that home
game at Sky Stadium, I'm sure a lot of fans
listening would have been at that game or watched on
TV and just seeing how you seem to spur on
the team a lot tell us about. I guess when
you are on the bench, you're getting that moment to
psych yourself up and get ready. What do you try
and deliver to the team in that kind of scenario.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
I guess it's you said it yourself. It's just the energy.
Bringing energy onto the field, like it's almost contagious, you know,
Like I was trying to get the crowd involved, I
was trying to get the team involved. Just anything you
can do to possibly like impact the team as much
as possible, you know. And I guess going on to
the field, all I like to do is bring energy
and with that comes I guess goals you know, and

(04:49):
assist and yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
And just on Carlo, we saw how much that goal
meant to him, and what we've heard the last couple
of days probably explains a bit more about why that
goal meant so much to him as well. Do you
really much of that celebration with him after that goal?

Speaker 2 (05:00):
Yeah, of course I was buzzing for him, honestly, like it.
It's a great story that he has and to score
some like a goal like that in the last minute
is yeah, definitely something great for him.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, And speaking of Carlo Dan, he's probably someone you
are in a bit of a battle with forgetting on
the part. How do you go about that? You know,
what's your sort of aim in terms of game time
being in match day squads this year?

Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yeah, Look, I'm naturally quite competitive, so of course I
want to play, but I also understand you can't just play.
You have to work for it, you have to earn it. So,
you know, I take things that he's doing really well.
I look at it and he's and he is doing
really well, so that's like he's helping us. I'm happy
that the team's doing well, and obviously I just want
to week by week grind away until I get the chance,
and if I get the chance, hopefully I take it.

(05:42):
That's all I can really ask for. I'm not going
to say anything bad. He's a great guy, good player,
So he's doing well for the team and that's that's
at the end of the day. That's the team comes first.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
Corbyn, You've been probably one of the most versatile players
the Phoenix I've ever seen, but about every position of
the pro seen you at. Senuine looks like you're finally
settled on a particular role this year. How did that
come about? Was that something that you kind of pushed
for being up front? There was it from Chief himself?
How did that all get sorted out?

Speaker 2 (06:08):
I guess Chief, it's come from Chief. Ye, I've previously
played as a ten. Yeah, Chief, he just saw the
attributes that I had and sort of I think he
just slowly drip fed me into being a striker. At
the end of last season. I think I played up
top for the last twenty minutes of the last two
games to try, you know, get something out at the

(06:28):
end of the game. But yeah, it's good that, like
he's given me a position to fully focus on this year,
and I think he just wants someone with like aggression
up top or someone that can just you know, hold
the ball up and cause a bit of mayhem. And
I guess I'm that player this year. So yeah, as you.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
Said, Dan grew up on fung Apoda very close to
each other. So how much stick do you get from
friends family back there that you're now it's part of
a Kiwi derby. But the Yellow and Black hobnoestly.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
I've got none so far. Really, Yeah, nobody's nobody said anything,
So they're all supporting the Phoenix because obviously they got
some to support, or a couple of boys to support.
Obviously growing up up there that Auckland wasn't necessarily around,
so it was all Phoenix back when I was a kid,
so is Yeah, I'm just lucky that nobody's nobody's had
a little chirp yet.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
Yeah, fair enough? What about your cold? What have you
converted people up there to Phoenix fans?

Speaker 2 (07:16):
I think there've always been Phoenix fans, so if you
were to swap like that, you know you're not a
true Phoenix fan. So no, mine not all just Phoenix
fans and they support me.

Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, tell us the difference from between these two teams
from a year ago the Phoenix. Where you think you
guys sit now heading into the first of the derbies
this year versus where Auckland the f See were last year.
What edge do you hope to maybe have and are
these sides different to last year? Do you think?

Speaker 2 (07:40):
I think our team's completely different from last year, and
I think we've got something really good. And yeah, I
just think we're playing really well at the moment, and
obviously we're scoring something we weren't doing as much last
season at this time. We're creating chances you could see
last Yeah, last game we had I think it was
twenty two shots on target? Was or just twenty two shots? Yeah,

(08:01):
So yeah, the chances are getting created, and I think
we're a dangerous team. And yeah, definitely got a call
or two in.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
Us being part of that last year. I guess, you know,
the Derbies were seen as a big part of the
season and I'm sure there would have been a lot
of disappointment. Are you guys out for some revenge this year,
especially you've got two of these matches at home this
season against Auckland.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yeah, yeah, Well, I guess you just got to treat
it like any other game like, you got to play
the game, not the occasion. You know, you've got to
just focus, prepare the exact same. Obviously there's going to
be the fans there and you know everyone wants to
win and everything, but we just got to treat it
like a normal game and just go out there and
play how we have been playing.

Speaker 1 (08:36):
And has there been derbies that you've played in some
of your other club footballs that you can draw on
some of that experience into what these high intensity games
mean like this or does this look you know from
what you're eyeing up Trump at all?

Speaker 3 (08:46):
I'm not sure. At the moment, it feels like every
game is a big game for us because you know
we're doing well. We want to continue doing well, so
there's always that big game feel when we go out
there at the moment. Everyone sees what a big game
is differently, you know what it depends if you're playing
in front of thousands or hundreds. It's relative to you
or you perceive it to be. But yeah, in Australia
we're playing some what they would call big MPL games

(09:06):
and once again it's like Corb saidiers play the game,
not the occasion. You know, we're preparing. Well, we're confident
in what we're done on the peaks this week. If
we're confident in ourselves, and why not just go out
there and show it.

Speaker 2 (09:17):
Cool.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
But I know we'll get people asking when they hear
you on when are we going to see you starting?
I know it's on the back of that injury. What's
the latest on that. It could be this weekend?

Speaker 2 (09:26):
Unfortunately not No, I'd love to, but with this injury,
it's all about managing load, and it's obviously also up
to chief EA have the trust in starting me, and
I think I'll hopefully start to increase minutes in the
next couple of weeks. Obviously with international break I might
have to drop down and play reserves and get some
more minutes. But yeah, it's all about managing load this one.

(09:48):
So it's a it's also up to the coaching stuff
and not so much me.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
So yeah, absolutely, Well, I'm sure you're doing your best
to get there. Dan, You've got a taste of what
sky Stadium is like as a home player, what the
yellow fea like to play in front of. What are
you what are you sort of anticipating from the big
game this weekend and what do you need from the
fans if they're listening this morning and they're going to
be hitting along to the game.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
Yeah, obviously Corp said it earlier in the week. It's
there are twelfth Man. Everything they can bring to the
game for us gives us a little bit of an edge,
you know, if the game's laid on, like against Brisbone
they drove us. They drove us and then look what
open we scored in the last minute. Celebrated with them
as well, because that's what they mean to us. The
more people that come to the game, the more people
that are backing us, I'm sure the more energy will have,
the more legs will have to go and fight for them.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
What about you, Colin, I'm sure they spured you on
in that that last part against Brisbane.

Speaker 2 (10:34):
Yeah, yeah, I love it. I love hearing the crowd,
you know, it really makes the game. It helps me
bring the energy onto the field, you know. Hearing them
support honestly means the world to us. And yeah, it's
great having them there.

Speaker 1 (10:45):
Awesome, guys, Well, thanks for popping by the studio. I
really appreciate it. Congrats on the start of the season.
It's been bloody awesome and all the very best, getting
one up for Wellington this weekend. Thanks for Jennings, thanks
for having us. For more from News Talks, there'd be
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