The press release makes a big deal about him playing out of position for Macarthur last season. Here's hoping he fits the #9 shirt nicely!
WPM 2026/27 Squad Speculation, Confirmation and Mutual Termination
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still have three visa spots to fill after two prospective signings fell through last week.
Well that is frustrating.
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Durán replaces Nigerian striker Ifeanyi Eze, who returned to Iraq after scoring a team-high 10 goals last season.
What, I didn't realise he went back to Iraq!!
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Dont watch the bulls so no idea if this guy is any good, seems to have good pedigree though so hopefully we can get the most out of him.
yung thug
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HattyCW wrote:Nelfoos wrote:Someone posted a rumour a few weeks back relating to Bidois potentially returning (Think it was about his girlfriend posting in a Welly Facebook page looking for work.
Note the song they've picked to accompany the post. All but confirms YHMs scoop.
Interested to see if he plays as a 9 exclusively or if there will be another visa attacker on the way.
If we aren’t getting an out and out visa striker, then I guess will go with a front two of Bidois or Piper, and Duran.
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Seems like he was pushed out wide at MacArthur, he definitely looks more like a 9 rather than a nimble winger so hopefully we can get the best out of him up top.
2/4 of his goals last season were classic striker goals, and the other 2 were bangers at the top of the box.
2/4 of his goals last season were classic striker goals, and the other 2 were bangers at the top of the box.
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Chris Greenacre said they will have pre season match 2 tomorrow. Didn't say what team, but we will see. Then next month 2 A League teams in Australia locked in and they will try to get at least 1 more A League team. So imagine any trialists tomorrow and Rafael Duran for both A League teams next month.
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Yellow on the shorts seems to be the reserves players, although I couldn't tell you who "Edward Norton" actually is. Leg in front of him is probably Dylan Gardiner though.
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Straight from the club website (plus Duran) so definitely 100% up to date.
Goalkeepers
Alby Kelly-Heald
Eamonn McCarron*
Henry Gray
Defenders
Isaac Hughes
Bill Tuiloma
Matthew Sheridan
James McGarry
Lukas Kelly-Heald
Xuan Loke
Jayden Smith?
Midfielders
Alex Rufer
Kazuki Nagasawa
Fin Roa Conchie*
Anaru Cassidy?
Forwards
Corban Piper
Nathan Walker?
Rafa Duran
Any missing?
That's 18, including 2* who imho aren't yet A league standard, 3? who might be, and 3 keepers.
Need a winger or two, one or two DMs, another striker, maybe a 10.
If a 4 4 2 then I'd like to see
Gray/AKH
Loke/Sheridan Tuiloma Hughes McGarry/LKH
??? Rufer Nagasawa Walker
Piper Duran
Goalkeepers
Alby Kelly-Heald
Eamonn McCarron*
Henry Gray
Defenders
Isaac Hughes
Bill Tuiloma
Matthew Sheridan
James McGarry
Lukas Kelly-Heald
Xuan Loke
Jayden Smith?
Midfielders
Alex Rufer
Kazuki Nagasawa
Fin Roa Conchie*
Anaru Cassidy?
Forwards
Corban Piper
Nathan Walker?
Rafa Duran
Any missing?
That's 18, including 2* who imho aren't yet A league standard, 3? who might be, and 3 keepers.
Need a winger or two, one or two DMs, another striker, maybe a 10.
If a 4 4 2 then I'd like to see
Gray/AKH
Loke/Sheridan Tuiloma Hughes McGarry/LKH
??? Rufer Nagasawa Walker
Piper Duran
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PKB wrote:
Chris Greenacre said they will have pre season match 2 tomorrow. Didn't say what team, but we will see. Then next month 2 A League teams in Australia locked in and they will try to get at least 1 more A League team. So imagine any trialists tomorrow and Rafael Duran for both A League teams next month.
With New Zealand clubs excluded from this year's Australia Cup, the Phoenix have taken a measured approach to their rebuild and still have three visa spots to fill after two prospective signings fell through last week.
The Phoenix beat Central League side Wellington Olympic 6-2 in their first pre-season hit-out last weekend and face Upper Hutt City on Wednesday.
They will travel to Australia next month to face A-League opposition and plan to open the doors to the public for another friendly, likely against Olympic again, in September.
“The lack of cup games gives us a bit more patience, but we’re on the right track,” Greenacre said.
“As soon as we get a couple of extra bodies in here, that will improve us significantly.
“But the groundwork is there. The players are working hard, it's one of the toughest pre-seasons they've ever had, and we will continue to work them.”
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So two prospective signings fell through last week. I remember Greenie saying over a month ago that they had two prospects that also fell through.
It just shows how hard it is to get foreign players to come to Wellington.
The kiwi dollar is crap, the salary cap has lowered and the club has had two dud seasons.
Im sure the club is working hard but when signings fall through it puts the process back. Contacts have to be reastablished with the next prospects on the list.
Im ok with the Duran signing all things considered. He recently had two good seasons in Mexico div2 scoring 20+ goals then went to a Div 1 team and didnt get much game time. At least he knows the A League.
It would be great to see a couple more foreign signings before the trip to Oz
It just shows how hard it is to get foreign players to come to Wellington.
The kiwi dollar is crap, the salary cap has lowered and the club has had two dud seasons.
Im sure the club is working hard but when signings fall through it puts the process back. Contacts have to be reastablished with the next prospects on the list.
Im ok with the Duran signing all things considered. He recently had two good seasons in Mexico div2 scoring 20+ goals then went to a Div 1 team and didnt get much game time. At least he knows the A League.
It would be great to see a couple more foreign signings before the trip to Oz
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nixin wrote:
Straight from the club website (plus Duran) so definitely 100% up to date.
Goalkeepers
Alby Kelly-Heald
Eamonn McCarron*
Henry Gray
Defenders
Isaac Hughes
Bill Tuiloma
Matthew Sheridan
James McGarry
Lukas Kelly-Heald
Xuan Loke
Jayden Smith?
Midfielders
Alex Rufer
Kazuki Nagasawa
Fin Roa Conchie*
Anaru Cassidy?
Forwards
Corban Piper
Nathan Walker?
Rafa Duran
Any missing?
That's 18, including 2* who imho aren't yet A league standard, 3? who might be, and 3 keepers.
Need a winger or two, one or two DMs, another striker, maybe a 10.
If a 4 4 2 then I'd like to see
Gray/AKH
Loke/Sheridan Tuiloma Hughes McGarry/LKH
??? Rufer Nagasawa Walker
Piper Duran
Greeny like a 4-2-2-2. With the 4 midfielders in that mix there obviously has to be some recruiting there.
3 of the 4 are 6's and Nagasawa is the only 10 option. Midfield has to be the immediate focus.
3 of the 4 are 6's and Nagasawa is the only 10 option. Midfield has to be the immediate focus.
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Bradman99 wrote:nixin wrote:Greeny like a 4-2-2-2. With the 4 midfielders in that mix there obviously has to be some recruiting there.
Straight from the club website (plus Duran) so definitely 100% up to date.
Goalkeepers
Alby Kelly-Heald
Eamonn McCarron*
Henry Gray
Defenders
Isaac Hughes
Bill Tuiloma
Matthew Sheridan
James McGarry
Lukas Kelly-Heald
Xuan Loke
Jayden Smith?
Midfielders
Alex Rufer
Kazuki Nagasawa
Fin Roa Conchie*
Anaru Cassidy?
Forwards
Corban Piper
Nathan Walker?
Rafa Duran
Any missing?
That's 18, including 2* who imho aren't yet A league standard, 3? who might be, and 3 keepers.
Need a winger or two, one or two DMs, another striker, maybe a 10.
If a 4 4 2 then I'd like to see
Gray/AKH
Loke/Sheridan Tuiloma Hughes McGarry/LKH
??? Rufer Nagasawa Walker
Piper Duran
3 of the 4 are 6's and Nagasawa is the only 10 option. Midfield has to be the immediate focus.
They must get 2 new experienced attacking midfielders. & maybe 1 from academy if ready (or in January).
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RR wrote:still have three visa spots to fill after two prospective signings fell through last week.Well that is frustrating.
The club should never have released that knowledge into the public domain.
They've never mentioned failed signings in the past.
It has the potential to put off further signings if prospects know that others have turned us down.
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Two things, there actually no quote from Greenacre or the Nix saying two signings fell over just from the reporter, which means the reporter may know it occurred but the Nix have not confirmed it, plus this is the kind if information a few on here have been critical of the Nix for not talking about, so what do you want? Full information of none, or just enough to keep you interested?
Queenslander 3x a year.
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Bevan wrote:RR wrote:still have three visa spots to fill after two prospective signings fell through last week.Well that is frustrating.
The club should never have released that knowledge into the public domain.
They've never mentioned failed signings in the past.
It has the potential to put off further signings if prospects know that others have turned us down.
Nah. Players themselves would know they turn down clubs for different reasons to other players, so the fact the club couldn't get some signings over the line is normal.
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theprof wrote:
Two things, there actually no quote from Greenacre of the Nix saying two signings fell over just from the reporter, which means the reporter may know it occurred but the Nix have not confirmed it, plus this is the kind if information a few on here have been critically of the Nix for not talking about, so what do you want? Full information of none, or just enough to keep you interested?
Greenie did say it in his Duran signing press conference at around 2min 45 into this video:
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ok cool, but it wasnt quoted in the article......but my point being why is there the need to be angsty when info is shared?!?
Queenslander 3x a year.
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Certainly not the first time Nix management has said visa signings have fallen over at a late stage. Shaun Gill has mentioned it in seasons past.
But must be frustrating for Greenie when you are planning for the season and your preferred visa option doesn't come through. Getting closer to season start when you want your players here so they can gel in. But signings here are often made after the europe window closes.
Also Greenie being a Rookie coach may take more convincing than normal for prospective visa players. Players often say.. after talking to the coach I decided..... or our visions alighned.. or somrthing similar.
I guess lots more to being head coach than just coaching.
But must be frustrating for Greenie when you are planning for the season and your preferred visa option doesn't come through. Getting closer to season start when you want your players here so they can gel in. But signings here are often made after the europe window closes.
Also Greenie being a Rookie coach may take more convincing than normal for prospective visa players. Players often say.. after talking to the coach I decided..... or our visions alighned.. or somrthing similar.
I guess lots more to being head coach than just coaching.
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I'm actually finding it quite refreshing the level of transparency we're seeing from Greenie as we head towards the start of the season to be honest.
With regards to light being recently shed on these deals for visa players falling over, a lot of it just comes down to $$$ - This league simply doesn't have it - We're one of the lucky clubs that have managed a couple of sales that would offset the financial losses that every club is facing while also freeing up a chunk of cap space (Thanks Tim Payne).
You only have to look up the road to see this too, with Auckland having signed a visa midfielder in Normann for sub $100k per annum, and he was only playing for Manurewa a couple of years back! This all ties in to the league wide trend of picking up value for money visa players - Guys who will give you more value for less, while also trending towards the younger side of the ledger. It's the same deal when we're looking at picking up local/aussie players too - It's just the environment we're living in for this league at the moment.
I will say here too that there are a lot of things that the club could improve upon, but fair fucks to them in that they aren't a leaky ship - If they don't want things getting out in the public domain then generally it's like getting blood out of a stone.
Roll on the rest of the signings, there is still room for optimism around the place here guys and gals!
With regards to light being recently shed on these deals for visa players falling over, a lot of it just comes down to $$$ - This league simply doesn't have it - We're one of the lucky clubs that have managed a couple of sales that would offset the financial losses that every club is facing while also freeing up a chunk of cap space (Thanks Tim Payne).
You only have to look up the road to see this too, with Auckland having signed a visa midfielder in Normann for sub $100k per annum, and he was only playing for Manurewa a couple of years back! This all ties in to the league wide trend of picking up value for money visa players - Guys who will give you more value for less, while also trending towards the younger side of the ledger. It's the same deal when we're looking at picking up local/aussie players too - It's just the environment we're living in for this league at the moment.
I will say here too that there are a lot of things that the club could improve upon, but fair fucks to them in that they aren't a leaky ship - If they don't want things getting out in the public domain then generally it's like getting blood out of a stone.
Roll on the rest of the signings, there is still room for optimism around the place here guys and gals!
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Still a couple of months to go. No dramas.
The biggest concern is that it appears that Piper appears to be down to start in the front two with the Mexican.
As much as I love the guy still think if the team is going to compete to win the league that Piper shouldn’t be first choice up there.
The biggest concern is that it appears that Piper appears to be down to start in the front two with the Mexican.
As much as I love the guy still think if the team is going to compete to win the league that Piper shouldn’t be first choice up there.
Auckland will rise once more
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AucklandPhoenix wrote:
Still a couple of months to go. No dramas.
The biggest concern is that it appears that Piper appears to be down to start in the front two with the Mexican.
As much as I love the guy still think if the team is going to compete to win the league that Piper shouldn’t be first choice up there.
Still time to get a winger or another striker and 3 foreign player places to get 1 of that.
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MetalLegNZ wrote:
Piper was better last year, lets see what he is like this year. He has the pace and strength, if he has added a little bit of silk to his craft, he could be fantastic for us.
I think an issue for him was some cheap giveaways at and near the front third, but others were guilty of that too. I think getting a few good new attacking midfielders next few weeks should help them keep the ball better at the front.
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MetalLegNZ wrote:
Piper was better last year, lets see what he is like this year. He has the pace and strength, if he has added a little bit of silk to his craft, he could be fantastic for us.
Think Piper will be helped by having Greenie as his coach and focusing his training on playing up front.
GET YOUR SHIRTS OFF FOR THE BOYS
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MetalLegNZ wrote:
Piper was better last year, lets see what he is like this year. He has the pace and strength, if he has added a little bit of silk to his craft, he could be fantastic for us.
sure he was better than he was when firsty put up front, but that's not exactly a high bar, his first touch often lets him down which mean she loses the ball in scoring positions more often than not, defenders are only worried by his physicality which is let down by poor ball control and inaccurate shooting.
Queenslander 3x a year.
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MetalLegNZ wrote:
I'm hoping all of our players are better and more consistant than last year TBH.
Having a proper coach for the whole season will help this year.
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I think as well perhaps Eze preferred being the main guy, and didn’t appreciate the competition up front.
Eze also missed plenty of good chances and failed to play others in, and was a guy who was more of a first half goals guy iirc, not so much a clutch scorer.
I think Piper should start if he can maintain his impact.
I remember him playing several good passes, and I was impressed how improved he was. He’s best with his head and he had one game with the yips, but in an era where we were constipated in possession more often than not, he drove us forward.
And headed home goals.
Eze also missed plenty of good chances and failed to play others in, and was a guy who was more of a first half goals guy iirc, not so much a clutch scorer.
I think Piper should start if he can maintain his impact.
I remember him playing several good passes, and I was impressed how improved he was. He’s best with his head and he had one game with the yips, but in an era where we were constipated in possession more often than not, he drove us forward.
And headed home goals.
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Corica said last year that they were looking at three strikers.
He said his top pick was a South American who had played in the MLS. So by saying that he obviously was fairly confident. The guy used to play under him at Sydney and ended up signing for the top league in Mexico instead.
So they ended up with an out of contract Cosgrove who was playing in unwanted player games in the UK.
So even AFC doesn’t get what they always want.
He said his top pick was a South American who had played in the MLS. So by saying that he obviously was fairly confident. The guy used to play under him at Sydney and ended up signing for the top league in Mexico instead.
So they ended up with an out of contract Cosgrove who was playing in unwanted player games in the UK.
So even AFC doesn’t get what they always want.
Auckland will rise once more
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AucklandPhoenix wrote:
Corica said last year that they were looking at three strikers.
He said his top pick was a South American who had played in the MLS. So by saying that he obviously was fairly confident. The guy used to play under him at Sydney and ended up signing for the top league in Mexico instead.
So they ended up with an out of contract Cosgrove who was playing in unwanted player games in the UK.
So even AFC doesn’t get what they always want.
Just search "Arsene Wenger almost signed XI"
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