WPW R11 vs Brisbane Roar | Sun 7th Jan | 8:00pm | Sky Sports 4

Roar have been on a bad streak since sacking their coach. With only 4 home games remaining, we really need to start picking up points on the road to remain in Top 4 contention & this very winnable.

Be very disappointed if we don't get 3 points from this game. Just have no clue what team we will put out and who will be in what positions. We need these points

We also need to be mindful about building some depth from the bench. If we are to loose a number of players to the ferns we need to prepare these players with quality minutes. All well and good to bring in imports, but if your wider squad aren’t seeing much gametime and then need to come into starting positions in the future, well good luck. After a lot of talk about using his subs, it seems more tokenistic of late?

We have a pretty settled back-line and midfield now. But our front line has been chopping and changing a lot, not just in personnel but in positional play also. 
I feel it would be beneficial if Temple settles on a preferred front 3 and give them a run of game together. With Cox now likely up for a start, I would have thought.
Speckmaier    Cox    Main   are probable starters on recent form.
That still gives good options off the bench/injury cover in Breslin, Brown or Elliot.
Perhaps with some consistent selection, we might be a bit more effective in front of goal.

Yet again Ive watched the highlights of the other ALW games, and seen some shocking defending . I hope I dont jinx the Nix, but we seem to be much more solid defensively that the other teams.

Starting Cox may be the best thing, its hard to tell. I know Main has been underutilised all season, and Brown has hardly been given a chance - tbh I like to see what can do leading the attack. Speckmaier, well she looks a great player but clearly her finishing needs work.

Im optimistic it will all come right!

Match preview:
https://wellingtonphoenix.com/news/liberty-a-league-round-11-match-preview-2
New signing Jaber in the squad but not Errington. 

Wellington Phoenix squad (four to be omitted): 1. Rylee FOSTER (gk), 2. Zoe MCMEEKEN, 3. Kate TAYLOR, 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 6. Macey FRASER, 7. Isabel COX, 9. Kelli BROWN, 10. Alyssa WHINHAM, 11. Hope BRESLIN, 12. Brianna EDWARDS (gk), 13. Michaela FOSTER, 14. Michaela ROBERTSON, 15. Daisy BRAZENDALE, 16. Annalie LONGO (c), 17. Mariana SPECKMAIER, 18. Hailey DAVIDSON, 20. Emma MAIN, 21. Manaia ELLIOTT, 23. Rebecca LAKE, 26. Tiana JABER.
Unavailable: 5. Marisa VAN DER MEER (injured), 8. Grace WISNEWSKI (injured), 19. Liv INGHAM (injured).

Huge game for our Top 4 hopes. Need the 3 points to keep in touch.

Starting line up:

Here is your Phoenix Women Starting XI powered by @OPPONewZealand 📱

▪️ McMeeken & R. Foster are back in the Starting XI
▪️ Cox earns her first start for the club
▪️ Brown & Robertson come onto the bench alongside Tiana Jaber who could make her debut tonight#COYN! 🔥

💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/cm1nNAvqdP

— Wellington Phoenix 🔥 (@WgtnPhoenixFC) January 7, 2024

Main and Taylor not in the squad.

McMeekan, Foster and Davidson all start... who do we think is playing further forward?

Holy shark Roar are throwing everything at us

Bananas

Holy shark Roar are throwing everything at us

We've come back strong 

Is that 3 shots on target at the top right corner? Unlucky to not have scored one.


And as I type that Cox heads it in.  Beautiful.

Good shark right there

I still maintain that Speckmaier is quite shark.

Good lord. That's a pretty unacceptable mistake from a keeper of Foster's caliber.

Live by the sword, die by the sword

Fudgeing hell what a poor mistake to make. Just hit it!

I think Edwards makes fewer errors in goal than Foster. Unpopular opinion, but there ya go. 

I really don't like the way we are set up defensively. 

Steph1000

I think Edwards makes fewer errors in goal than Foster. Unpopular opinion, but there ya go. 

My partner and I were just discussing the same thing.

Steph1000

I think Edwards makes fewer errors in goal than Foster. Unpopular opinion, but there ya go. 

 Fewer errors in possession yes, but she's worse at shot-stopping and struggles with set pieces. 

After a moderate start,we are well on top, or at least we were until Foster gifted them the equalizer. That was appalling. 
Good to see Cox score,but that was keepers ball anytime,shame for the Brissy keeper cos she's been good apart from that. 

No Main,no Taylor??

Frustrating really, we could have killed this game by now. Breslin not offering much.

Brissies keeper has kept a few great shots out.  We could easily be 3 up.

But every time I see the replay of that error from Foster it stings.  Such a casual pass....straight to the opposition.

Great start Brissy. 

Ffs that was terrible. Just not gonna defend at all are we?

That's a shark way to start the half

That's piss poor from Davidson.

And now we have Cox playing right wing.

Sometimes, i do wonder...

Needed to pass that, Fraser…

Barry is our best player 

Commentator saying this young Brisbane player should improve her game by cheating and complaining more...

It's Fraser or nothing at the moment.  She's working her butt off, with not a lot of help

Steph1000

Barry is our best player 

By a mile (ps but perhaps harsh on Fraser)

Davidson and Breslin need to be pulled. Speckmaier either losing it or offside. FFS put Cox back in the middle. 

Shocking half so far. Will they put us away?

Why oh why would you play a corner short? Swinging those corners in is our only goalscoring threat ffs

Three attacking changes - good! Can't accuse Temple of not making positives changes.

Come on Phoenix! Party at Kelly Brown’s time

That should have killed the game! Lucky escape

I don't think we deserve to win.