As they work their way through an injury crisis, Wellington coach Ufuk Talay has revealed he will prioritise bringing in players from New Zealand over plucking talent from Wollongong.
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The Phoenix have worked closely with the Wollongong Wolves NPL club in recent months. And with a growing injury list - including key defender Luke DeVere (knee) likely to miss 12 weeks - Talay admits he may need to bring in replacements. However, the Phoenix are likely to look across the ditch for support.
"We've got to be a little bit careful in the case that some of these Wollongong Wolves work during the day and they train at night," he said.
"Its not just the Wollongong Wolves either, we can even look at the NPL. But first of all, I'd like to bring in a few players from our (Phoenix) academy - that's why we have our academy - once we can get them across. First of all, we're looking for a central defender and we're going through the process of that. So hopefully we can get that over the line."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
