Soccer siblings take centre stage in Nelson
There are many prominent siblings right across the sporting landscape.
Think Serena and Venus Williams, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, and Valerie and Steven Adams.
And even in Nelson, where Ross and Anna McPhie kick around on the football field.
The McPhies are the first brother and sister duo to play for the region’s respective Mainland Premier League teams, Ross with Nelson Suburbs and Anna with Tasman United.
‘‘I’ve always been interested in what she’s doing, it doesn’t matter who she’s playing for, we’ve always been supporting each other,’’ Ross said of his younger sister.
Ross, who is currently back home during the California State University-Fullerton off-season, is a 19-year-old central midfielder and the orchestrator of many of Suburbs’ attacking plays.
He debuted for Suburbs when he was just 14-years-old but soon departed for Auckland, linking up with Saint Kentigern College, who he won the New Zealand secondary schools football championships with in 2013, and Auckland City, who he won the ASB Youth League with in 2014.
Ross said the level of football in the US is a step up and the play is much faster than what he has experienced in New Zealand.
‘‘The level is pretty good. It’s pretty fast and it’s pretty high,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s always 100 miles an hour, which I don’t really like to be honest because there’s no flow to the game.’’
Ross said he has enjoyed his latest stint back at his hometown club, where his career began five years ago, linking up with friends and keeping himself sharp during the summer break.
‘‘It’s always nice to come play for Suburbs again. I want to do as well as I can with Suburbs while I’m here.’’
While the Mainland Premier League title appears out of reach, still eight points adrift of Cashmere Technical, he said the team’s target is to finish the season with five wins from five games, starting with Western at English Park in Christchurch on Saturday.
Fifteen-year-old Anna, a student at Nelson College for Girls, is an attacking midfielder with Sports Therapy Tasman and looks up to her ‘‘big bro’’.
‘‘I do look up to him and think that’s where I want to be. I think he’s a really good player as well,’’ she said.
Like Ross, Anna is making her mark in Christchurch’s premier club competiton and has scored eight times this season, ranking her seventh on the Golden Boot charts. She described her debut season in the Mainland Women’s Premier League as a success.
‘‘For a first season especially, they were all thinking we’re the newbies and wouldn’t do too good but we’ve come out and shown we’re capable of being in the league. I think we can keep third place if we keep battling and keep winning.’’
Anna said Ross is always willing to help her development and the pair frequently head down to the park for kicks together.
‘‘I said I can’t use my left foot so he puts me by the goal and makes me only kick with my left foot until I get it right a lot of times in a row.’’
Tasman have a double header in Christchurch this weekend, meeting FC Twenty11 at Avonhead Park on Saturday before facing Universities at Ilam Fields on Sunday.