The 27-year-old has been versatile throughout his career, whether as a schoolboy at Sacred Heart College in Auckland, at Blackburn Rovers in England, in New Zealand’s old national league, where he played for Auckland City, Waitākere United, and Eastern Suburbs, or at the Phoenix. But it was only during the 2017-18 national league season, when he linked up with his old school coach – former All Whites centre back Danny Hay, now the national team coach – at Suburbs, that he first began to play week-in, week-out in the centre of defence, having predominantly been a midfielder – and sometimes a forward – beforehand.
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Western Sydney Wanderers are bound for a fourth straight A-League season without finals after a poor 2-1 defeat to Wellington Phoenix that has dialled up the pressure on coach Carl Robinson.
The Wanderers remain a remote mathematical chance of finishing in the top six but will need a miracle for it to happen – and if came, they wouldn’t deserve it, having flunked yet another crucial test on Wednesday night at Bankwest Stadium.
Wanderers coach Carl Robinson and Graham Dorrans react at full-time after losing to the Phoenix at Bankwest Stadium.
Credit:Getty
Two first-half goals to Wellington, both conceded from corner kicks, continued Western Sydney’s diabolical handling of set pieces this season, further underlining the doubts over Robinson’s capacity to deliver the success he was brought to the club for.