Didn't hear any Aussies complaining about the Mariners when they got 13 points in the 15/16 season. Also didn't hear any Aussies praising us when we topped the league for most of the previous season
As far as I can tell, it has to do with being part of the narrative, or remaining outside the narrative. At the moment we seem to be in the "a little bit pregnant" condition; an A-League club but a black sheep at best. An "Australian" club in Wellington, but not really part of the A-League ongoing narrative which is completely Australian-centred, for a good reason. It does not help when we're not a threat to beat another team.
Bonevacia is now "one of them" as far as Slater is concerned, while Burns or Mullen or Galloway are somehow not (as per the jingoistic commentary). There has been a clear increase in this "us and them" mentality which could be to do with FOX, and their commercial reasons., I do not see any chance of change in the current setup. It could be that an independent commercial A-League (owned by the clubs) might change that. They might invite us to join it, or they may not, but it will be clear from the outset if we belong.