Trying to see the positives in yesterday's messy announcements, firmly believe this is a real opportunity to try and get A League boys involved with the AWs, come March.
Yeah it won't be easy, but would be some real benefits come March and longer term.
"The All Whites will play three pool games and then a semifinal and a final within a 17-day window, should they progress through to the tournament decider."
That's a lot of football in a short space of time, and you want to manage workloads on players, especially older guys, and anyone flying in long haul from USA or yes downunder. Hay needs to run a large 30-31 man squad over the tourney.
Note I'm talking about the A League players mostly being maybe in Qatar for first 2 weeks max (pool games) and then returning downunder. Some idea like that, that might work for Hay and various A League coaches. As a Chris Wood arrives in Qatar, a Barba heads back home. Ditto Bell for Lewis and so forth. With some maybe staying for whole tourney, depending on goodwill of their A League clubs.
Also I'm not sure of the exact current border rules re entering NSW & VIC (where all Kiwi contenders are based), for non Australian citizens. But Australians fully vaccinated no longer have a 2 week MIQ requirement, entering NSW. I understand Sail, Ingham & maybe Roux are Aus citizens. Hay enquired about getting the first 2 to the last window in Nov.
But by mid March, highly vaccinated NSW & VIC will be more open not less, even with new strains. They are the 2 most agressive states at the moment re borders reopening and that will continue. The momentum is all opening not closing. Good chance NZ citizen A League players will be able to freely enter NSW & VIC by then, if they can't already.
We don't want it as Nix fans, but likely better for Hay the Nix stay in NSW most of the season re border openings, as opposed to them getting back into more problematic NZ.
Barba & Rojas. Still 2 of our better attacking players. Very experienced, with a lot to still offer the AWs, on and off the field. Barba hasn't played a game under Hay. Rojas last involved Nov 2019!
Likes of Champness, McCowatt & Just, are now in the box seat seat re AWs spots. But lets say 2 of them suddenly were injured. You want as much depth as you can, plus having old heads in a squad is always highly useful. They have both played alot with the Woodsman.
They should be pumped to play with the AWs again. If they can't negoitate 2 weeks leave from the SFC or VUC, to help out their nation, given how little they have played for AWs since 2017 (through circumstance) - something is wrong. Corica & Poppa are respected coaches who will likely have their teams near the top of the A League log this season, and should be pretty job safe. Yes dangerous assumption. But I doubt they will be in desperate win mode come mid March, hugely reluctant to let anyone go off for 2 weeks to help NZ get to a WC.
Ingham, Roux, Elliot & Fenton. That AWs RB spot still wide wide open. All (even Louie) still in the mix. If Kirwan was unavailable first 2 pool games (his Padova club chasing promotion), I'd take 2 of the 4 to Qatar. Only 1 if Hay sees Payne as a strong RB option.
Sail - guy deserves a shot at becoming AWs keeper. Totally deserves a go. Has Aussie passport. Unsurped Marinovic at the Nix. Looks in real good form again to start the new season. But one of 4 quality keepers in the AWs mix, if Tzanev ever changes his anti vax stance. Only 3 go to a World Cup if AWs make it. He'll be absolutely gagging to show Hay his stuff, and impress a senior AWs group that he won't know well at all (unlike the other keepers). Doubt Talay would stop him missing 2-3 Nix games in March, that wouldn't be fair on Sail and he knows that.
Rest of Nix crew. Payne, Sutton, Mcgarry, Lewis and Waine. Ben Old. Even Rufer (especially if Bell's availability is uncertain). They all have a future with NZ football. 2 weeks further international exposure, just adds to their development. That's the way Nix should look at it. Not saying Talay should let them all go, and again hopefully Paramount/APL can rejig the draw to help both Nix and AWs. Is there a way to create 2 NIx bye weeks, latter half of March. Easier again if Nix are still in Sydney close by to the 5 NSW sides, for possible mid week fixtures, pre & post Qatar.
For Hay he gets guys in season (worry some of the Scandi/US based players especially will just be re/starting their seasons), match fit. Plus he had a number of them at the Olympics, well versed in how he sets up. Really hope Declan's not twisting him, to plump for some of those Torslanda guys as an alternative, just because they are resident in Euroland.
Hay's about to do 2 weeks NZ MIQ. Out by Christmas? In January he can visit Aus, then re enter NZ post 15th Jan, without another MIQ stretch? So he goes over to NSW with some other NZF staffers running a little 2-3 day training camp for AL AWs contenders (around yes their club commitments) finds out who's motivated, who he wants.
He returns NZ, hopefully with NZF having locked in 2 more friendlies up north for that Jan window, starting Jan 24th. Probably can't get A League guys involved in that window (A League coaches rightly should say no) but at least he's clearer to what his wider larger 30-31 man squad could be for March.
Anyway hopefully something can be worked out re the A League guys. It's an opportunity, risen out of likely necessity. But yes will need tonne of goodwill between Hay, A League coaches, NZF, APL & Paramount. NZF & Nix are likely chatting daily about Nix's new ALW's team, so the communication must be alot better than the past, ie Martin NZF era.
Yeah it won't be easy, but would be some real benefits come March and longer term.
"The All Whites will play three pool games and then a semifinal and a final within a 17-day window, should they progress through to the tournament decider."
That's a lot of football in a short space of time, and you want to manage workloads on players, especially older guys, and anyone flying in long haul from USA or yes downunder. Hay needs to run a large 30-31 man squad over the tourney.
Note I'm talking about the A League players mostly being maybe in Qatar for first 2 weeks max (pool games) and then returning downunder. Some idea like that, that might work for Hay and various A League coaches. As a Chris Wood arrives in Qatar, a Barba heads back home. Ditto Bell for Lewis and so forth. With some maybe staying for whole tourney, depending on goodwill of their A League clubs.
Also I'm not sure of the exact current border rules re entering NSW & VIC (where all Kiwi contenders are based), for non Australian citizens. But Australians fully vaccinated no longer have a 2 week MIQ requirement, entering NSW. I understand Sail, Ingham & maybe Roux are Aus citizens. Hay enquired about getting the first 2 to the last window in Nov.
But by mid March, highly vaccinated NSW & VIC will be more open not less, even with new strains. They are the 2 most agressive states at the moment re borders reopening and that will continue. The momentum is all opening not closing. Good chance NZ citizen A League players will be able to freely enter NSW & VIC by then, if they can't already.
We don't want it as Nix fans, but likely better for Hay the Nix stay in NSW most of the season re border openings, as opposed to them getting back into more problematic NZ.
Barba & Rojas. Still 2 of our better attacking players. Very experienced, with a lot to still offer the AWs, on and off the field. Barba hasn't played a game under Hay. Rojas last involved Nov 2019!
Likes of Champness, McCowatt & Just, are now in the box seat seat re AWs spots. But lets say 2 of them suddenly were injured. You want as much depth as you can, plus having old heads in a squad is always highly useful. They have both played alot with the Woodsman.
They should be pumped to play with the AWs again. If they can't negoitate 2 weeks leave from the SFC or VUC, to help out their nation, given how little they have played for AWs since 2017 (through circumstance) - something is wrong. Corica & Poppa are respected coaches who will likely have their teams near the top of the A League log this season, and should be pretty job safe. Yes dangerous assumption. But I doubt they will be in desperate win mode come mid March, hugely reluctant to let anyone go off for 2 weeks to help NZ get to a WC.
Ingham, Roux, Elliot & Fenton. That AWs RB spot still wide wide open. All (even Louie) still in the mix. If Kirwan was unavailable first 2 pool games (his Padova club chasing promotion), I'd take 2 of the 4 to Qatar. Only 1 if Hay sees Payne as a strong RB option.
Sail - guy deserves a shot at becoming AWs keeper. Totally deserves a go. Has Aussie passport. Unsurped Marinovic at the Nix. Looks in real good form again to start the new season. But one of 4 quality keepers in the AWs mix, if Tzanev ever changes his anti vax stance. Only 3 go to a World Cup if AWs make it. He'll be absolutely gagging to show Hay his stuff, and impress a senior AWs group that he won't know well at all (unlike the other keepers). Doubt Talay would stop him missing 2-3 Nix games in March, that wouldn't be fair on Sail and he knows that.
Rest of Nix crew. Payne, Sutton, Mcgarry, Lewis and Waine. Ben Old. Even Rufer (especially if Bell's availability is uncertain). They all have a future with NZ football. 2 weeks further international exposure, just adds to their development. That's the way Nix should look at it. Not saying Talay should let them all go, and again hopefully Paramount/APL can rejig the draw to help both Nix and AWs. Is there a way to create 2 NIx bye weeks, latter half of March. Easier again if Nix are still in Sydney close by to the 5 NSW sides, for possible mid week fixtures, pre & post Qatar.
For Hay he gets guys in season (worry some of the Scandi/US based players especially will just be re/starting their seasons), match fit. Plus he had a number of them at the Olympics, well versed in how he sets up. Really hope Declan's not twisting him, to plump for some of those Torslanda guys as an alternative, just because they are resident in Euroland.
Hay's about to do 2 weeks NZ MIQ. Out by Christmas? In January he can visit Aus, then re enter NZ post 15th Jan, without another MIQ stretch? So he goes over to NSW with some other NZF staffers running a little 2-3 day training camp for AL AWs contenders (around yes their club commitments) finds out who's motivated, who he wants.
He returns NZ, hopefully with NZF having locked in 2 more friendlies up north for that Jan window, starting Jan 24th. Probably can't get A League guys involved in that window (A League coaches rightly should say no) but at least he's clearer to what his wider larger 30-31 man squad could be for March.
Anyway hopefully something can be worked out re the A League guys. It's an opportunity, risen out of likely necessity. But yes will need tonne of goodwill between Hay, A League coaches, NZF, APL & Paramount. NZF & Nix are likely chatting daily about Nix's new ALW's team, so the communication must be alot better than the past, ie Martin NZF era.