AWs get Fiji, Papua New Guinea & New Caledonia.
So we don't get the gimme game Cooks/Tonga.
Unknown yet which those first 2 pool games will be outside the official FIFA window dates, when Hay could be without maybe a dozen topline players.
He's going to be a busy boy talking to Euro club managers. Plus suddenly making ph calls maybe to very fringe guys like Musa, Themi, Kyle Adams, Max Mata, Deklan Wynne, Logan Rogerson, Jesse Edge, Joel Stevens, Torslanda crew - what are you up to March next year. Bit of a nightmare.
Plus A League coaches like Talay. Plus watching border rules re NZ & Aus. Though looks like by March all the A League contingent would be based in VIC or NSW (not NZ) and maybe able to travel freely in & out of Qatar without any MIQ requirement upon return to Aus.
Hopefully doesn't stop NZF's focus on getting some valuable friendlies in the January window. Which Hay could now use to at least look at fringe dudes.
A case of keep calm and deal with it as best as possible. Whether NZF have a possible appeals case re those 2 non window games, I have no idea. Surely FIFA rubber stamped that decision. But AWs couldn’t afford to lose both with an under strength team, WC dream likely over then and there.
So we don't get the gimme game Cooks/Tonga.
Unknown yet which those first 2 pool games will be outside the official FIFA window dates, when Hay could be without maybe a dozen topline players.
He's going to be a busy boy talking to Euro club managers. Plus suddenly making ph calls maybe to very fringe guys like Musa, Themi, Kyle Adams, Max Mata, Deklan Wynne, Logan Rogerson, Jesse Edge, Joel Stevens, Torslanda crew - what are you up to March next year. Bit of a nightmare.
Plus A League coaches like Talay. Plus watching border rules re NZ & Aus. Though looks like by March all the A League contingent would be based in VIC or NSW (not NZ) and maybe able to travel freely in & out of Qatar without any MIQ requirement upon return to Aus.
Hopefully doesn't stop NZF's focus on getting some valuable friendlies in the January window. Which Hay could now use to at least look at fringe dudes.
A case of keep calm and deal with it as best as possible. Whether NZF have a possible appeals case re those 2 non window games, I have no idea. Surely FIFA rubber stamped that decision. But AWs couldn’t afford to lose both with an under strength team, WC dream likely over then and there.
It should be recognised that Fiji, PNG & NC have had to deal with Covid far worse than NZ.
League in PNG suspended & NC bought to an early halt. Sure they are running large domestic training camps, and I guess running almost club teams with lots of weekly contact sessions - but nothing like playing actual games together. Hay meanwhile has had tough quality games going back to Tokyo.
Be interesting to see if the Islands can organise friendlies amongst themselves pre March, but they must have lots of border closures going on.
But yeah getting that gimme game against Cooks/Tonga would have really dropped the nerve levels a notch. I'll guess we'll find out in March.