The game was disappointing to me as a Nix fan. However, all Kudos to A-FC for putting in an extra effort - I am sure they are extra motivated in a NZ derby and that is exactly how it should be. We probably did too, within our limited abilities on the day.
If you take AF-C out of the equation, where would the Nix be on the table? Probably still near the bottom, because of the player loss / player recruitment / player availability issues we have discussed many times on this forum, already.
However, most ALM clubs are also in a financially limited situation due to the cut in funding. Some have sold their attractive players and focused on new youth development. But this is where A-FC are in a different space than all other clubs, they are on a different part of the curve. They are a new club. They have recruited a whole bunch of adult players as foundation players and have a lower reliance on youngsters.
I may have forgotten the details, but IIRC there is some sort of dispensation from the salary cap constraints if you are a new club. Others may comment here. If correct, this allows A-FC to be a bit of an outlier. They can still lose games (the 0:3 pasting at home to WU was uncharacteristic) but should deservedly win the premiers' plate this season. There is a lot they do well, on-field and off-field; and a lot of those things remind me of Sydney FC about 10-15 years ago.
If you take AF-C out of the equation, where would the Nix be on the table? Probably still near the bottom, because of the player loss / player recruitment / player availability issues we have discussed many times on this forum, already.
However, most ALM clubs are also in a financially limited situation due to the cut in funding. Some have sold their attractive players and focused on new youth development. But this is where A-FC are in a different space than all other clubs, they are on a different part of the curve. They are a new club. They have recruited a whole bunch of adult players as foundation players and have a lower reliance on youngsters.
I may have forgotten the details, but IIRC there is some sort of dispensation from the salary cap constraints if you are a new club. Others may comment here. If correct, this allows A-FC to be a bit of an outlier. They can still lose games (the 0:3 pasting at home to WU was uncharacteristic) but should deservedly win the premiers' plate this season. There is a lot they do well, on-field and off-field; and a lot of those things remind me of Sydney FC about 10-15 years ago.