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New Zealand's Shane Smeltz against Italy in their friendly match at the Super stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday June 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
This is a subject that we’ve broached previously but deserves further examination: do we support the New Zealand All Whites at the World Cup as representatives of the A-League or should we treat them as we would the All Blacks?
It’s a fascinating quandary to ponder as we approach the Socceroos’ home farewell match against the All Whites at the MCG on May 24 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The farewell match represents a new beginning in the rivalry between the two countries that has suffered an inevitable lull since Australia’s move into Asia.
But with New Zealand’s qualification to the World Cup – where they will be at the finals alongside Australia for the first time ever – the rise of football across the Tasman, manifested through the continued rise of the Wellington Phoenix as well as the World Cup qualification, has set the scene for the rebirth of meaningful contests between the two nations.
And it will be fascinating to see how the crowd at the MCG and the players approach the friendly – their first clash in five years, let’s not forget.
In rugby, for example, where the All Blacks ply their trade in the New Zealand based franchises in an international competition as opposed to an Australian one, the lines are so clearly defined between the two nations.
In football, they are far from it.
The All Whites are, in the main, products of Australia’s footballing structures
Within the New Zealand football community there is a sense of gratitude to the Australian game for providing the platform for its own game to rise in standard to the point where World Cup qualification was possible – and without which it’s unlikely the All Whites would be there in the first place.
Meanwhile, the majority of Australian football fans wished the Phoenix well as they emerged as genuine contenders in the A-League last season, and were relieved when they were given a stay of execution and allowed to continue playing in a foreign league by the AFC, especially considering the Phoenix were one of the few shining lights of the season for the competition with bumper crowds saving the blushes of crowd-watchers.
The All Whites qualifying for South Africa was a success for the A-League, and the fact was not lost on Aussie fans.
At club level, at least, there is no real trans-Tasman animosity, and no real bitter or acrimonious tensions on the international arena.
But for how long will that goodwill continue and does the MCG friendly represent a turning point?
The consensus among many Socceroos fans is that they wish the All Whites well in South Africa, knowing they will be representing the A-League to a far greater extent than the Socceroos.
None of the three A-League representatives for the Socceroos in Germany 2006 (Archie Thompson, Mark Milligan and Michael Beauchamp) saw any game time, and with Jason Culina the only likely A-League Socceroo to feature in South Africa, the All Whites’ World Cup tour will be the A-League’s biggest chance yet to showcase its worth, with Shane Smeltz and the core of the Wellington Phoenix making up the majority of the likely starting XI.
World Soccer’s World Cup preview magazine describes Smeltz as “the record-breaking A-League striker” who “will carry the weight of the All Whites’ attacking burden.”
For many football fans around the world it’ll be the first time they’ve heard of the A-League.
And for this reason we should wish New Zealand well in South Africa and hope they do themselves and the A-League proud.
A fighting and spirited performance from the underdogs will reflect positively on the A-League around the world.
The rivalry between the Socceroos and All Whites should be put aside in June, and it will inevitably develop with time, particularly if an annual meeting between the two eventuates.
The competition between the two dates back to 1922 when they first met on the football field in Dunedin, and their previous battles in Oceania and rich rivalry in other sporting endeavors should ensure the MCG match is the rejuvenation of the rivalry.
Perhaps if the Phoenix continue their rise in the A-League, the rivalry will also foster at the club level between Wellington and their Australian rivals.
But the fact remains that Australia benefits enormously from the talent that emerges in New Zealand as it helps to contribute to a better A-League, so we shouldn’t begrudge them a good tournament in South Africa and hope they do us proud.