So after all the song and dance NZF made about the national league revamp and a fully amateur competition, the Phoenix are allowed to make a mockery of it by dropping down full-time professionals to play in it while A-League is on break.
Pretty insulting that our national football league can just be treated as a training session league for the Nix when they want to. No problem with them having a nailed on spot and playing all those kids, but getting to play Sutton, Rufer and Sasse while other teams are (supposedly) prevented from paying professional wages is absurd. Pro contract A-League players shouldn't be allowed to play.
Pretty insulting that our national football league can just be treated as a training session league for the Nix when they want to. No problem with them having a nailed on spot and playing all those kids, but getting to play Sutton, Rufer and Sasse while other teams are (supposedly) prevented from paying professional wages is absurd. Pro contract A-League players shouldn't be allowed to play.
Does it matter at all for a game that was long ago a dead rubber?
Maybe the Birko guys enjoyed the chance to test themselves against a couple of full time pros?
Surely the whole NZ football community wants the Nix to do well. So if giving Rufer, Sasse & Sutton a run at the best level available in NZ, helps NZ's only pro club in some small way, why not.
We all do want the Nix to do well, but that shouldn't mean bending over backwards for them to the detriment of the national league.
how is it detrimental to the league? Getitng to play against better players can only help improve the league, it was one game so it's not like anyone really missed out from the Nix juniors.