Sit down with the NZ Herald and a panel of experts to discuss how the Football Ferns can make history in the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup.
The Football Ferns could face another injury concern ahead of the Fifa Women’s World Cup opener against Norway.
Fullback CJ Bott has been in doubt, after a hamstring strain picked up against Vietnam last week and now veteran midfielder Betsy Hassett could be on the injury list.
TheWellington Phoenix player took no part in Tuesday’s training, in their final full session before Thursday’s sellout match at Eden Park.
New Zealand Football didn’t confirm the nature of the issue, only saying that it wasn’t believed to be major. Hassett has been a key figure under coach Jitka Klimková. She has only missed two of 25 matches during Klimková’s tenure, and one of those was due to an agreed early release back to the Phoenix during the January series against the United States.
Those 23 appearances have included 20 starts and the 32-year-old was also made captain for February’s clash with Argentina in Auckland, in the absence of Ali Riley.
Betsy Hassett in action against Vietnam. Photo / Paul Taylor
In an interview with the Herald last week, the former Avondale College student couldn’t hide her excitement at the prospect of the Norway match, after recovering from two broken ribs suffered against Nigeria in April.
“It means a lot, I’m so excited and it’s just going to be a dream walking out into that stadium and I hope that a lot of old friends and family come and watch and support us,” said Hassett. “I just want to make New Zealand proud and inspire the young boys and girls to play football and grow the game.”
In the 4-3-3 formation used by Klimková in two preparation matches, Hassett has been part of a midfield trio alongside Malia Steinmetz and Ria Percival. If she doesn’t start, Annalie Longo or Olivia Chance are the likely replacements, though both are short of match practice.
Chance has been troubled by an undisclosed knee injury picked up against Iceland in April, though she got minutes against Vietnam and Napier, while Longo has been through a lengthy rehabilitation following her ACL rupture last September. Daisy Cleverley is another option, though she wasn’t used in either build-up game.
Central defender Rebekah Stott has recovered from her head cold symptoms and will be available, though the Herald understands there are other players managing minor illnesses among the squad.
Norway are heavily favoured by most pundits, with bookmakers not giving the Ferns much chance, but their coach Hege Riise is cautious.
“We don’t look at ourselves as big favourites going into that game,” Riise told the Herald. “We know New Zealand [have] progressed slowly, they are now playing at home, big crowds. There will probably be 10 Norwegians cheering there.”
But she admitted they will take an aggressive approach on Thursday, keen to stamp their authority on the match.
“We feel like we need to go out and attack and do what we do in training,” said Riise. “We will go out and show ourselves, how we want to look as a Norway team.”
The Ferns are braced for what is coming, with multiple threats across the park.
“They are very strong, in particular their front line and midfield,” said defender Claudia Bunge. “Our defending will have to be on point and our communication through the lines is really important. But we feel we can exploit them on the counter and we have the players do that. It’s about knowing their strengths but also knowing ours.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
