Durante revels in Nix revival
Riders aim to move on from messy year
Andrew Durante is loving every moment of the Wellington Phoenix’s revival under new coach Mark Rudan.
So much so the team’s captain isn’t ruling out committing to a 12th season with the A-League club.
‘‘I don’t know. We’ll see,’’ he said ahead of his milestone 300th appearance against the winless Central Coast Mariners at Westpac Stadium tonight.
While the 36-year-old’s answer was not as definitive as a ‘‘yes’’ or ‘‘no’’ would have been, it is different to the one he provided at the end of last season, when he said this season would definitely be his last.
Things were so bad at the Phoenix during their dismal 2017-18 campaign that Durante seriously considered hanging up his boots by the end of it, before eventually signing another 12-month contract. So is the team’s leader having a change of heart now they are 90 minutes away from setting a new club record unbeaten streak of eight games?
‘‘[I came] pretty close [to pulling the pin]. Around January, February time I was tossing up whether I give it in or not but I decided to stay on and I’m glad I have.
‘‘I’ve been able to reach this milestone and I’m just excited the club has transformed completely from last season both on the pitch and off the pitch. It’s a completely rejuvenated place at the moment and I’m loving it and I’m sure the fans are as well,’’ Durante said.
‘‘Considering where we were last year and where we are now, it’s so exciting and pleasing. As players and fans, everyone around Wellington and New Zealand, there is such a good feeling around the club and such a buzz. But it hasn’t come from luck.
‘‘There’s been a lot of hard work, there was a pre-season that was very well thought through and a lot of good recruiting, a lot of value sessions, soul-searching and [asking] what we want to be as a football club and how we want to represent the people.’’
In contrast to the Phoenix’s fortunes, the Mariners have made the worst start in A-League history and come into the game on the back of nine consecutive defeats. Durante said the Phoenix are confident they can collect all three points, which is important with a challenging run of matches against the top four teams looming in the following weeks.
‘‘There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be confident but it could be a banana skin. If we go out there and think that if we just show up we’ll get the points then we won’t.’’
The Phoenix will be without suspended midfielders Mandi Sosa and Alex Rufer for today’s game, with Mitch Nichols expected to make a rare start alongside Michal Kopczynski in their absence. Nichols has seen only 185 minutes of action so far this season but this could be his chance to stake a claim for a regular spot in the starting XI.
A-League, round 13, Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners Westpac Stadium, Wellington, today 7.35pm Wellington $1.57, Central Coast $6, draw $3.75
New Zealand’s track cycling stars are hoping to put a turbulent 2018 behind them as they build towards next weekend’s World Cup meet in Cambridge.
Findings of an independent review into Cycling New Zealand were released last October after allegations against former sprint coach Anthony Peden became public following his resignation in May.
It concluded the sport’s high performance programme was dysfunctional for a two-year period, there were instances of bullying, a lack of accountability and leadership, and an ineffective and inadequate response to issues, while Peden was found to have had an inappropriate relationship with a female athlete.
Then, despite getting the backing of his board following the review, CNZ chief executive Andrew Matheson resigned in November. He left his post at Christmas, replaced by Jacques Landry on a six-month interim basis, while Peden’s position was filled by Rene Wolff last September.
Wolff, a former Olympic and world champion rider with Germany, had led a strong Netherlands sprint programme since 2010, and is now being credited with providing a fresh approach, which has proved particularly useful for the experienced men’s team sprint unit of Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Eddie Dawkins, with the glittering trio looking to bounce back from medal-less outings in the season’s first two World Cup rounds.
‘‘That invigoration and that passion has really then helped us to find another level in certain aspects in training,’’ Webster said.
‘‘He has a good way of getting across what he means, he can actually communicate how it should feel as well, and sport is something that’s very feeloriented.’’
Dawkins said: ‘‘Rene is definitely the captain of the ship and he’s leading us in the right direction’’, but that he’s allowed riders to have plenty of input into how training will run.
‘‘Being a German, we were a bit unsure about his sense of humour, but he’s very very funny,’’ Dawkins said. ‘‘And he makes the training very light-hearted, even though he’s super serious underneath the jokes.
‘‘He has everyone’s best interests at heart and he’s got a lot of cool ideas to make us stronger and faster and bring us all together as a group as well. It’s not just about being fast, it’s about promoting that healthy workspace for everyone to grow together.’’
That hands-on coaching is what Wolff said he missed, having been in a performance management role for his last year and a half with the Dutch.
‘‘That’s where I get my own energy from,’’ said the 40-year-old, who has settled into Karapiro village with his wife and two children (with another two children with an ex-wife back in Germany).
‘‘And we all know if we are energised and we are good in life then we can add something to people’s lives and we can help them, and that’s what I’m doing here.’’
Arriving in rather tumultuous circumstances, Wolff said he didn’t know a lot about Peden’s coaching style, but that he wasn’t trying to compare himself to him in any case.
‘‘He did some good things with the team, because he obviously developed the team through to the top Olympic level. The way he left, that’s how life works.’’
Dawkins also felt that through all that controversy, the team has been able to band together and become stronger.
‘‘It seems to be the way, you know, not just in cycling, but in life, hardships bring out the best in people,’’ he said. ‘‘It makes you really want to strive for better.’’
Meanwhile, Natasha Hansen will now be the sole female sprinter in the squad for Cambridge, with Emma Cumming ruled out of both this meet and the next World Cup round in Hong Kong after sustaining a hip injury in training. She won’t be replaced in the team.
Former world champion and Commonwealth Games and Olympic medallist Hayden Roulston has come on board for three weeks as an assistant coach for the development teams in the men’s endurance programme.
‘‘Before he opens his mouth, if you just look at his resume, he already carries a fair amount of credibility with the riders,’’ Cycling New Zealand high performance director Martin Barras said. ‘‘Obviously by the time he opens his mouth it gets pretty interesting too.’’
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