Auckland FC's Hiroki Sakai and Wellington Phoenix's Kosta Barbarouses Photo: Jeremy Ng/Photosport
Analysis - I always thought the A in A-League stood for Australia. But right now, it stands for Aotearoa, as New Zealand dominates the early stages of the trans-Tasman domestic league.
Following respective wins over Macarthur and Melbourne Victory over the weekend, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix currently occupy first and second place in the A-League Men.
It was the perfect antithesis to the Unite Round flop, which, other than the Sydney derby, failed to capture the imaginations of fans in the Harbour City. What better way to rubber stamp that than having the two in-form teams in the league not even play in the same country, let alone the state of New South Wales - which has five representatives in the competition.
Even having the Phoenix top the pile is a relatively rare occurrence and Auckland's remarkable start to life as a football entity now sees our two professional clubs leading the way ahead of their Australian rivals.
It certainly feels like a good time to be a football fan in New Zealand and what is more exciting is how under-reliant both teams have been on Australia to get to this point.
Ivan Vujica of the Bulls and Logan Rogerson of Auckland FC challenge for the ball during the A-League Men Round 5 match between Macarthur FC and Auckland FC at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Sunday, November 24, 2024. (AAP Image/Jeremy Ng/Photosport) Photo: AAP / www.photosport.nz
Across the two 22 players who formed the Kiwi starting elevens at the weekend, only three Australians made the cut, none of whom are currently in the Socceroos set-up. Even the benches were barren, with two for the Phoenix and one for Auckland.
For Wellington, that is a testament to their impressive youth system, with five recent recruits starting the game. The likes of Alex Rufer, Kosta Barbarouses and Marco Rojas also started their professional careers with the 'Nix - albeit in a different period.
For Auckland, it demonstrates how they have learned from the errors of previous football incarnations in the city. The New Zealand Knights were criticised for their over-reliance on foreign talent and inability to recognise that which is based at home. No such problem for Auckland, with the likes of Francis de Vries, Liam Gillion and Cam Howieson all key players.
Hideki Ishige of the Phoenix and Sasha Kuzevski of the Mariners challenge for the ball. Photo: Jeremy Ng/Photosport
It is not only at club level, either. On the men's international scene, you would much rather be an All Whites fan than a Socceroo at present.
New Zealand - led by the best player from the region in Chris Wood - are cantering to a first World Cup appearance since 2010 with an automatic berth now up for grabs in Oceania. Australia, meanwhile, who left the confederation in 2005, are finding the gradual rise in standards across Asia, where they now play their qualifiers, difficult to handle.
A calamitous draw with Bahrain last time out, alongside stalemates against Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, and a loss to Bahrain in September, means they are in a five-team battle for the second automatic qualification spot from their third round group, behind runaway leaders Japan.
Of course, things in football can change very quickly, but New Zealanders should relish this moment in time. When compared to our trans-Tasman rivals we currently have the best teams, the best player and the best chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Bragging rights in football are often brief, so don't waste this window Aotearoa.
A-League Women, Premier League news
New Zealand's great footballing weekend continued with the Wellington Phoenix picking up their first A-League Women victory of the campaign. Maya McCutcheon's goal on the brink of half-time proved the only strike of the game as they defeated Adelaide United away from home.
Chris Wood could do nothing to help Nottingham Forest this weekend. His side were dealt a reality check at the top-end of the Premier League table, as a Bukayo Saka-inspired Arsenal sauntered to a 3-0 win this weekend.
Manchester City have now lost five games in a row as Pep Guardiola struggles to solve the conundrum of how to succeed without Rodri. Tottenham Hotspur ran rampant at the Etihad this weekend, claiming a 4-0 win as Pep, who signed a deal to remain at City beyond the end of the season, will be starting to consider a new incarnation of this City team.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola Photo: PHOTOSPORT
As a result, Liverpool are firmly in the driving seat in the Premier League top spot, but were made to work for a 3-2 win at struggling Southampton. Mohamed Salah was the inspiration yet again - another man who is currently without a job in a few months time. Fairly sure he will have no problem finding an employer.
Manchester United's start to life under Ruben Amorim started with a bang, Marcus Rashford scoring inside two minutes. But football is a 90-minute, not 90-second game, and they eventually drew 1-1, with Andre Onana to thank for Amorim not suffering a losing debut. Plenty of work to do for the Portuguese boss.
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