Phoenix fans shows their support Photo: Masanori Udagawa
The Academy Awards took place this week, but this weekend will see the Wellington Phoenix bring the curtain down on a run that most movie series could only dream about.
The Wellington Phoenix will play their final 'home' fixture at Eden Park against Sydney FC on Saturday, the final stage in the Phoenix Cinematic Universe in which they have the privilege of representing the entire nation.
Six wins and five draws from 11 games at New Zealand's 'national stadium' is the sort of successful hit rate you would expect from the Lord of the Rings franchise on Oscar night.
As 'Nix general manager David Dome put it, Kingsland has been a 'happy hunting ground' with that unbeaten record adding to the special mystique around their rare forays into Tāmaki Makaurau.
Rolling the credits on that special relationship with further success could not come at a better time. Last week's 1-0 loss to Melbourne City saw them lose top spot in the A-League Men.
The fixture also comes just days after new permanent Auckland residents dropped the trailer for what they hope will be a blockbuster rivalry.
Auckland FC is now the confirmed name of New Zealand and the A-League's latest release. Once American billionaire Bill Foley's vehicle gets off and running from the start of next season, Phoenix's privileged position of calling anywhere they roadshow in New Zealand a 'home' fixture evaporates.
The Phoenix are wrapping up a spectacular run. Photo: AAP / www.photosport.nz
The niggle has already begun, with the Phoenix launching a tongue-in-cheek petition to have the Greater Wellington area extended up as far as Whangarei. Long may it continue, as a Marvel v DC-like rivalry will only add to the interest around the 'Nix, the Black Knights and football in the region.
The Phoenix seem to be toting a line of plucky underdogs to billionaire Foley's newbies. Both clubs will undoubtedly recognise the Barbie v Oppenheimer-like potential that has to be a box office draw.
Signing off on home ground advantage in Auckland unbeaten will be no easy feat for Giancarlo Italiano's men, with the perfectly cast movie baddie standing in their way.
Sydney are led by Italiano's former boss in Ufuk Talay and are unbeaten in eight games, a run stretching back to January. They are also one of just three teams to have beaten the Phoenix this season, claiming a 3-1 win just after Christmas.
That was Italiano's Empire Strikes Back moment, having his reaching hand sliced away by his former mentor. But Luke Skywalker had the final say and Italiano will be hoping the force will be with him on Saturday.
The 'Nix are also hopeful they can be rewarded with a couple of Oskars of their own, with Zawada and van Hattum pushing for a return from injury. If so, the Phoenix would have a full call sheet for an absorbing final act in this Eden Park chapter.
But something tells me, like with any successful movie franchise, a reboot won't be far away but with a big M. Night Shyamalan twist at the end. A reverse Terminator if you will, with the Phoenix returning to their old home as the villain, rather than the hero. What a sequel that would be.
In other news this week:
* Much like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the Wellington Phoenix women got their franchise back on a winning streak last weekend, with Macey Fraser's long-range strike the pick of the bunch in a 3-1 distance derby win over Perth Glory. Travelling that far and getting the W often truly feels like Mission Impossible but the result continues a steady campaign for the Wahinix.
* The latest cast for the All Whites has been set, with leading man Chris Wood back at the top of the bill for their fixtures against Egypt and Croatia/Tunisia later this month. There is also a first-time call-up for teenage defender Lukas Kelly-Heald but Phoenix team-mate Alex Rufer failed his audition, despite putting in some of the best performances of his career so far this season.
* The Champions League continues to lose its star appeal with another fairly tepid round of fixtures, Meanwhile, the blockbuster entertainment still belongs to the Premier League. Manchester City and Liverpool went toe-to-toe like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed in a thrilling top-of-the-table tie. AFC Bournemouth and Luton Town then went all Fast and Furious on us in midweek, the Cherries performing a Robert Downey Jr-like comeback to turn a 3-0 half-time deficit into a 4-3 victory.
