Hooper out to repay Phoenix
He has barely played since December
2017, but Gary Hooper is hoping to make up for lost time at Wellington Phoenix.
Although he has scored more than
200 goals throughout his 14-year professional career, netting in the Champions League, Europa League, English Premier League, Scottish Premiership, FA Cup and Championship, a botched groin operation left the former Celtic and Norwich City striker in football limbo at the end of last season.
Requiring a second round of surgery, Hooper missed most of the 2018-19 campaign and was released by Sheffield Wednesday after making only six appearances. However, finding a new club proved difficult due to his recent injury history.
A-League rivals Western Sydney Wanderers showed some interest in the Englishman, as did a club from Iran, but the Phoenix was the only club to offer him a contract. The 31-year-old said he was surprised by the lack of interest given his goalscoring pedigree.
‘‘A lot of clubs look at the injury and see how many games you’ve played last season. Because I only played six games I think everybody stayed away, so I was a bit shocked because it reached October and I still didn’t have a team. But then I was speaking to the manager at Wellington Phoenix and I was happy to come over,’’ Hooper said.
‘‘From the start the manager phoned me up and just told me he wants me over here, it’s going to be lifechanging. From day one he wanted me to play and it’s nice to be wanted because no-one else had really taken a chance on me because of my injury, but this manager has.
‘‘I thought why not? It’s something different. I’ve been in England for 14 years now, done all the leagues, and I wanted a new challenge.’’
Declaring himself fit and available for selection, the club’s marquee man is hoping to repay the Phoenix with goals when he makes his much-anticipated A-League debut against Perth Glory tomorrow.
‘‘I’m ready to go. I’ve had a good week’s training now, with the team and on my own, and I’m looking forward to Sunday now,’’ he said.
If Hooper manages to keep fit, he has the potential to the biggest signing in the club’s history. A goal-machine throughout his career, Hooper scored
50 goals in 95 games for Scunthorpe United, 82 in 138 matches for Celtic and
20 in 70 appearances for Norwich City. Although he played in the Premier League in two of his three seasons with Norwich, it was his spell with Celtic where Hooper’s career was at its peak, playing in the Champions League and winning the Scottish Premiership on two occasions.
‘‘I remember driving up with my dad to have a look around and as soon as I got there I thought ‘this is where I want to play football’. The stadium was amazing, it had about 60,000 seats, the manager showed me around Glasgow, showed me around the training ground. You don’t realise until you walk around the boardroom, where all the trophies are, how big the club is,’’ he said.
‘‘The fans, they want you to give 100 per cent and play every week. When you’re 0-0 at halftime at home, you’re getting booed off because they expect you to be one or two goals up. But you just take it because you know you’re going to create chances, you’re going to have the ball all the time and most of the time we won.
‘‘My first Old Firm game in I scored, so I had the fans’ support straight away. Then I just carried on scoring and had a good three years there.’’
Hooper said he still harbours ambitions to return to Europe, but he knows he needs to prove his fitness first.
‘‘I’m motivated to play football and score goals and this is probably the only manager and club that said ‘come over and play for us’ and that’s why I came over. He’s going to give me a chance to get fit again and score goals and then we’ll see what happens next season.’’
After dropping their first two games, the Phoenix will be hoping the introduction of Hooper will turn their fortunes around. They have created the most chances in the competition through two rounds (32) but have lacked the finishing touch that Hooper should be able to provide.
‘‘It’s nice to be wanted because no-one else had really taken a chance on me.’’
Bay of Plenty will play in next year’s Premiership courtesy of a 12-7 victory over Hawke’s Bay in the National Provincial Championship final.
In an unattractive affair at Rotorua International Stadium on Friday night, Bay of Plenty grabbed the Championship and bragging rights in the Battle of the Bays clash.
Bay of Plenty will replace the demoted Counties Manukau in next season’s Premiership.
The stuttering and frustrating final was a far cry from Bay of Plenty’s 51-24 victory over Hawke’s Bay in Tauranga last month.
Bay of Plenty first-five eighth Dan Hollinshead opened the scoring with a penalty in the sixth minute and just three minutes later, openside flanker Mitchell Karpik saved seven points with a determined try-saving tackle on Hawke’s Bay’s live-wire halfback Folau Fakatava.
Hollinshead scored the final points of the opening half with a second penalty to double the score to 6-0 in the final act before the break.
A frustrating first half – that featured plenty of aerial ping pong – was littered with mistakes and turnovers but dominated by Bay of Plenty’s gritty and effective defence.
Bay of Plenty, who smashed Manawatu 64-3 in their semifinal one week earlier, made 53 tackles to Hawke’s Bay’s 32 in the first half and Hawke’s Bay also enjoyed 54 per cent of possession and 62 per cent of territory.
The two premier teams in the Championship race brought everything but their best in a tryless 40 minutes.
Hollinshead added two more penalties within the first nine minutes of the second half to extend the lead to 12-0.
Hawke’s Bay winger Jonah Lowe finally scored the opening five-pointer – against the run of play – with an intercept try, with 20 minutes to play, and Tiaan Falcon’s conversion closed the gap to just five points at 12-7.
Hawke’s Bay fullback Falcon looked likely with ball in hand but when he did get an opportunity, invariably and turnover or mistake would follow a phase or two later.
Hawke’s Bay, who qualified for the decider with a 44-39 extra-time victory over Otago, were not helped by being on the wrong end of a lopsided penalty count with several coming at scrum time.
Result: pens) beat
Falcon 1 con).
Bay of Plenty 12 Hawke’s Bay HT:
6-0. (Dan Hollinshead 4 (Jonah Lowe try, Tiaan