https://theniche-cache.com/football/2024/3/7/ben-old-has-dribbled-his-way-into-golden-boy-status-at-the-wellington-phoenixAs we well know, the Phoenix have several outstanding youngsters in their squad. But there are three in particular: Ben Old, Alex Paulsen, and Finn Surman. Throwing it back to the mission statement of the Welly Nix Academy, those are the three guys with immediate potential to draw transfer fees from European clubs. Others have the capacity to get there with a couple more seasons under their belts, but these three are already there. Whether they stay another year or two or three, that’s up to them and how patient they want to be. But you can absolutely guarantee that foreign scouts have their names written down already.
Here’s a stat for you: There are nine players born in 2002 or later who have played at least 1300 minutes this season (as of the date of publishing here) and three of those players are from the Wellington Phoenix. Ben Old actually isn’t one of them, due to all the substitute appearances he made at the start of the season while they were managing his fitness, but he’s fast on his way having started nine of the past 13 matches, firmly establishing himself as a key player in his team’s quest for the Premiership.
[Those nine players, from youngest upwards: Lukas Kelly-Heald (Phoenix), Giuseppe Bovalina (Adelaide), Jake Girdwood-Reich (Sydney), Finn Surman (Phoenix), Mark Natta (Newcastle), Jacob Farrell (Central Coast), Alex Paulsen (Phoenix), Ryan Teague (Victory), Noah Botic (Western)... so the Nix are the only team with more than one and they’re top of the table, righto].
Giancarlo Italiano: “I think he’s growing every week. The reason why I used him for ninety [vs Adelaide], I’m trying to build his fitness up. Hes been injured for so long, we’ve had to manage that quite extensively. Our physio Cory Glover’s done an excellent job with him. For me, he’s going to be a vital player in our push to create a really good season. He’s the sort of player who needs a little bit of love but he also needs the space and the set-up around him to bring his best attributes out. That’s running with the ball, taking players on, having good players in front of him to combine.”
The other thing that The Chief said about Old is that he’s “such an exciting prospect that you’ll only see how good he is until he leaves and goes overseas”. The same can be said of Alex Paulsen and Finn Surman, to be fair. There’s a bubble around the A-League, especially with homegrown players, which makes it hard to envisage their place in the wider world... until they get there and suddenly the distance doesn’t seem so far. The last few years have seen a surge in younger A-League players finding their way to Europe which has given us a much clearer idea of where the A-League sits globally.
We don’t need to think about that right now, though. Current thoughts should be contained to the very special things that Old and the Wellington Phoenix are doing week to week as they chase their first ever piece of silverware, a feat that Old’s emergence has helped make possible. Embrace it. Savour it. And reflect on the other aspect of all of this: Confidence. Italiano’s note about Old needing “a bit of love” is a clue, because it’s amazing what a dose of belief can lead to. Shred away the doubt and hesitation and that can be the 1% that makes all the difference. That’s proving to be the case with Ben Old and it’s proving to be the case with this entire Wellington Phoenix squad.
