One of Ernie's jobs is to rejuvenate the squad, signing a 36 year old doesn't do that.
Apparently Archie Thompson's Kiwi dad was one of 14 children and Archie has about thirty cousins in NZ who come to see him when he plays in Wellington. Archie himself is one of nine children.
If some of his younger rellies became decent players, that could rejuvenate the team!