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.