In the end, the thing that kept the Football Ferns from making the knockouts of their home World Cup was the thing that was always going to be the problem: their lack of goals. Defensively the team was brilliant. The attitude, the effort, the intensity... all fantastic. The win against Norway was an instantly legendary kiwi sporting moment that’ll send positive ripples long into the future for football in this country. Young players stepped up. Veterans showed their class. The only thing that was missing was a little more punch - and some luck - in those pesky attacking areas.

It could’ve been so different had Jacqui Hand’s goal been allowed against the Philippines. But nope, marginal offside in the build-up. Or had Hand not been denied by the woodwork in that game and also in the Switzerland one that followed. Don’t forget the unreal save that denied Grace Jale late in the Philippines match either. They were close but not quite close enough. Agonisingly small margins between glory and despair (although not the smallest margins we saw during this World Cup).

A team like the Ferns needed that luck to progress. They needed it because they simply don’t have the firepower to get through without it. The top nations can cop those slippery twists of fate because they’re going to create enough chances to where the weird ones don’t have to be match-defining. New Zealand, on the other hand, do not have the luxury of such creative abundance.

This is not a Football Ferns specific issue. Not so long ago the All Whites went six games without scoring a single goal... a span which just so happened to include an all-or-nothing intercontinental qualifier for the World Cup smack-bang in the middle of it. The Wellington Phoenix have brought in an import striker to help the women’s team better convert their positive attacks into much-needed goals, while the men’s team relied almost exclusively on import Oskar Zawada for goals down the stretch last season. For whatever reason, this infectious goal drought has spread throughout the whole scope of football in Aotearoa.

Except, perhaps, among our younger players. The All Whites are a little ahead of this curve compared to the Football Ferns but the curve is still the same. Having for so long had the totemic Chris Wood carrying all of this weight, they have since managed to score in three straight games without him - okay, technically two and a half - against China, Sweden, and Qatar. Within the last fortnight alone we’ve seen goals at club level for Ben Waine, Alex Greive, Callum McCowatt, Andre De Jong, and Joe Champness... while Max Mata recently left Sligo Rovers as the equal-leading goal scorer in the Irish top division season. Flying Kiwis receipts here and here.

Clearly those guys aren’t doing it at the heights Chris Wood has in his career but they’re on the right track. Usually our best footballing exports are centre-backs and goalies. Suddenly we’ve got this unprecedented array of forwards who are not content with merely holding down professional gigs around the world. They’re scoring goals and racking up the transfer fees.

The Football Ferns probably need a couple more years to catch up. Things haven’t been so well organised through the years and it’s only recently that we’ve finally had more professionals than can fit in a national team squad. At the 2019 World Cup the Ferns picked a striker quartet of: Hannah Wilkinson, Sarah Gregorius, Emma Kete, and Rosie White. Wilkinson was coming off an ACL tear. Gregorius and Kete had been lured out of retirement. White was mostly playing as a midfielder for her clubs by then. Amber Hearn had recently blown her knee out and would retire as a result of that injury.

Wilkinson was the only one of them still standing as an international footballer by the time the World Cup came home four years later. Jitka Klimkova’s had to restock the shelves, mostly with younger players, many of them still learning their craft.

Here’s the cream of the attacking crop that was picked for this WC...

• Hannah Wilkinson | 31yo | 117 Caps (29 Goals)

• Olivia Chance | 29yo | 45 Caps (2 Goals)

• Gabi Rennie | 22yo | 27 Caps (2 Goals)

• Paige Satchell | 25yo | 43 Caps (2 Goals)

• Jacqui Hand | 24yo | 16 Caps (2 Goals)

• Grace Jale | 24yo | 19 Caps (2 Goals)

• Indiah-Paige Riley | 21yo | 11 Caps (0 Goals)

• Milly Clegg | 17yo | 3 Caps (0 Goals)

Take out Liv Chance, who was dealing with a knee injury and is really a midfielder by trade, and Wilkinson is not only the oldest by six years but leading into the World Cup she had more caps on her own than the rest of them combined (those cap numbers are post-WC though so it works out to 117 vs 119 now). As for goals, Wilkie has 29 and even including Chance there’s nobody else with more than two. Well, not yet anyway.

This was a fresh and inexperienced attacking group of forwards. We already knew that before the World Cup started so anyone who got upset about the lack of attacking incision wasn’t really paying attention. It is what it is. Give it another four years and this lot will be nudging towards the primes of their careers. Jale just transferred to Perth Glory. Satchell to London City Lionesses. Clegg announced that Western Sydney Wanderers move prior to the big event. Rennie’s got one more year at college in the States before she hits the pros. Hand has been stacking up mad highlights at Aland United and is surely in line for a bigger move soon. They’re all making progress.

Of course, a lot can happen in the course of a four year World Cup cycle. Four of those players listed above hadn’t even made their international debuts when the last one happened. Ava Collins and Maggie Jenkins are two more college forwards who’ve been around the Ferns environment who’ll be graduating within the next year or two. Hannah Blake already did so, impressing on the wing for Perth Glory last ALW season. Jana Radosavljevic recently signed with Fenerbahçe as she gets her career back on track after a knee injury. Emma Rolston’s a free agent, as is Ava Pritchard, following their Wellington Phoenix efforts. Kelli Brown has been scoring goals for fun in the NPL for Macarthur (she’s currently second top scorer in the NSW league). Deven Jackson debuted for the Ferns from out of the domestic scene earlier this year.

And those are just the players who’ve already been identified. Plenty more attackers will come surging upon the scene over the next few years. Some will sink and some will swim, that’s how this goes, but it’s already clear from age grade teams that a different sort of player is beginning to develop in this country. A technical and creative player, with skill and flair. Poise on the ball. The ability to beat a defender. Powerful shooting. Class finishing. Specifically: the same special ingredients that the Football Ferns are lacking at the moment.

We’re talking about a profile that never really used to have a chance in Aotearoa, what with our exclusive exporting deals for centre-backs and goalkeepers. The nurture of depth/emerging talent just wasn’t a priority. All the focus was on the first eleven... because once upon a time if you weren’t a first eleven Football Ferns international then you probably weren’t getting a professional deal anywhere. Nowadays that’s not a problem. Experienced professionals were left out of this squad. Thanks to increasing club opportunities around the world plus the massive boost of a Wellington Phoenix first team and full academy system to go with a rising standard at the domestic level it’s now the case that more and more players have a chance to make it – including those who don’t fit the usual mould.

In light of all that, here are six players who, with the right support and opportunity, could provide the national with that attacking x-factor that they’re searching for by the time the next World Cup rolls around. Six of the premier creative forces emerging out of kiwi women’s footy right now. Far from the only golden prospects and there’s no such thing as a sure bet in this game. But this group have been chosen because they all have that certain special something. Call it flair. Call it pizazz. Call it whatever you want. They’re natural ballers and that’s just what we need right now.

Milly Clegg – Western Sydney Wanderers (Born 2005)

Cheating a little bit off the bat by picking someone who was already in the 2023 World Cup squad... but Clegg only has three caps, all as a late substitute, and didn’t take the pitch during the tournament itself. That she was there at all actually tells you something quite valuable: if the coach wasn’t ready to play her but still selected her, it’s clear that Jitka Klimkova feels the same way about Milly Clegg’s unicorn status as the rest of us. She effectively held a spot open specifically so that our brightest centre forward prospect could gain some major tournament experience.

Clegg was one of only three players who were part of squads for the U17 World Cup, U20 World Cup, and senior World Cup that all happened within the past 12 months. The other two were the Colombian phenoms Linda Caicedo and Ana Maria Guzman. Incredibly, Caicedo managed to score at all three of those tournaments. Clegg only scored at the two age grade ones but that in itself is a remarkable achievement – in fact there was a game at the U20s where New Zealand and Colombia played each other and drew 2-2 with Clegg and Caicedo both on the scoreboard.

It’s her finishing that makes Clegg so exciting. She has a knack for scoring that parallels what the best strikers on the planet do by regularly popping up in the right place at the right time, with the killer instinct and composure to beat the keeper more times than not. There’s more to it than that though. Clegg also possesses pace and a sharp touch - a lot of her ALW minutes for the Phoenix came as a winger. She makes decent runs off the ball and can burst past a defender. The best combination of those two things comes with her trademarked move: that burst infield from the left edge followed by a clinical finish across the goalie.

At seventeen years of age and in her first season playing professional football she was the leading goal scorer for the Wellington Phoenix. She also set up the winning goal in the 2022 Kate Sheppard Cup final for Auckland United. Interestingly, like a few on this list, she spent much of her club football playing in boys’ teams right up until she hit the senior women’s grades.

On top of all that she also comes from a high performance background (Milly’s mother, Kylie Foy, captained the Black Sticks hockey team) and seems to have a clear focus about her career. You saw that with how she opted into an amateur deal with the Nix to keep her options open for the future – USA colleges don’t take professional players. You saw it again with her joining Western Sydney, this time shunning the college idea for good. That transfer will have had a lot to do with greater playing opportunities but it also gives her the chance to get used to living abroad via the relatively close confines of Sydney, Australia... just a short flight away from her home in Auckland. You can guarantee that she won’t be around the A-League for many more seasons. Grander stages beckon.

Alyssa Whinham – Wellington Phoenix (Born 2003)

Another one that many folks will be very familiar with, Whinham came up as an attacking midfielder in Christchurch including a National League season spent as the deputy to Annalie Longo at Canterbury United. She was given a Wellington Phoenix contract on the back of that and blossomed into one of the breakout stars of their inaugural campaign. She then played a key role for the U20s at their World Cup. It was a meteoric rise for AW, culminating in a Football Ferns call-up for their trip to Japan in October 2022 (although she didn’t get to make her debut).

The old second season syndrome caught up with her after that. After having to be replaced with heatstroke in a Phoenix game, she took an extended break from the club for unspecified personal reasons. Whinham eased back into the team later in the campaign but didn’t have much of an impact. So it goes. All that means is that she’s primed for a resurgent third year.

Whinham has quick feet and all sorts of attacking fizz. She does stepovers, she turns out of pressure, and she has a wee burst of speed too. Always thrilling to watch... however it’s more than mere flashiness. There’s also a very fine eye for a pass in that bag of hers and a decent shot as well. All of which is only going to become more valuable when the Wellington Phoenix are better able to keep sustained pressure in the opposition half. That’s something that they’re making a priority of by turning towards import signings and while that’ll happen at the expense of some of her teammates, it should only benefit Alyssa Whinham. She’s the type of player who’ll thrive with more quality around her.

Helena Errington – Wellington Phoenix Academy (Born 2005)

A couple of years ago Helena Errington grabbed a starting role for Capital Football in the National League and looked completely at home in their midfield, collecting and distributing the ball with a beautiful sense of rhythm and control. She was 16 years old. At the time she was also playing boy’s footy with Western Suburbs as part of the Ole Academy although she later joined the Wellington Phoenix women’s system where she’s been for the last two years.

That hugely impressive first full National League season (it was the South-Central year so ‘full’ is a relative term) only showed part of what she’s capable of. Catch her age grade highlights and you’ll also see a player with slick skills who pushes all the way forward and pulls strings in the attacking third too. Never was that on better display than at the recent Oceania U19s Championships where Errington was absolutely immense on the way to winning the Golden Ball for the tournament’s finest player. There were goals, there were assists, there was a silky touch that not too many others could match on the increasingly bumpy surfaces. Errington even captained the team in their semi-final win over the Cook Islands.

This was after she was one of the key players at the U17 World Cup last year, same as she will be next year at the U20 World Cup. Errington is a good bet to snap up a scholarship contract with the Welly Nix this upcoming season... heck, she may even get a full contract... yet like all of these five she’s got the potential to go way further than the A-League. Got to imagine HE’s been paying close attention to the likes of Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, and Teresa Abelleira in that Spanish midfield during this World Cup because here’s a kiwi midfielder who plays much more like them than she does the hearty battlers that NZ usually produces. No shade on our hearty battlers, we’ve got some brilliant ones at the moment, but variety is the spice of life after all.

Ruby Nathan – Auckland United (Born 2005)

Helena Errington won the Golden Ball at that U19s tournament and Ruby Nathan won the Golden Boot. Eight goals in five games did the trick, including a five-for in the 19-0 win against the Solomon Islands. Ruby Nathan is a striker/winger, usually recognisable by her pink boots, whose tall frame and loping strides are accompanied by a few sneaky tricks and that lovely tendency to Make Things Happen.

See, before all those goals for the U19s, Ruby Nathan played a National League season for Auckland United in which she led the entire competition for assists. She only played nine games and her team lost five of those yet RN still somehow delivered five goals and 11 assists. At seventeen years of age, no less. Nathan definitely has an eye for goal but she’s also very clever with a cross or a through ball. Versatile enough to play in several positions though probably operates best through the middle where she’s in the thick of the action – especially as someone who links so well with others. Decent on the set piece deliveries too, just quietly.

Ruby Nathan was teammates with Milly Clegg at Auckland United and the pair were also the only two kiwis to attend both the U17 and U20 World Cup in 2022. Clegg was starting and scoring at both but Nathan still got a few minutes in the twenties before taking on a prominent role in the seventeens. Unlike the others on this list, she isn’t yet on that pathway to the pros via either the Wellington Phoenix or an overseas club... but hey no hurry.

Macey Fraser – Wellington Phoenix (Born 2002)

Five years ago, Macey Fraser was one of the stars of the NZ U17s team that earned that legendary third-placed finish. That was in 2018. Fraser was a common sight in that midfield, mostly swapping in and out with Maya Hahn for the second CM spot alongside Amelia Abbott. By the way, Hahn might’ve been on this list too had she not switched allegiances to Germany back in 2020 - in large part due to her frustration in the lack of opportunities around for a stylish player of her abilities within the NZF model. If only she’d been a couple years younger, aye?

It’s been a strange ride for Macey Fraser since that U17 WC. Hailing from Christchurch, Fraser did spend plenty of time with the Canterbury Pride team however her best National League season came when she switched to Southern United in search of more game time. That U17s midfield was there to work hard and play direct. As a team they only averaged 37% possession and had a tournament pass accuracy of 49% (per the Technical Report). They had a spectacular run but it wasn’t by playing smooth, intricate footy. Southern United weren’t exactly Barcelona but they did give Macey Fraser a chance to flex some creative control out there which was beautiful to see.

Fraser may be short in stature but she’s tenacious on the pitch with a touch like velvet and a willingness to progress the ball - check out her TikTok for all the juggling tricks and flicks. An unmistakable talent... she did do some Future Ferns Development Programme stuff for a bit but she rejected moving to Auckland permanently and instead joined Ole Academy in Wellington (following Maya Hahn’s example). Then she linked up with the Wellington Phoenix when they began their women’s academy. In fact she was one of the players present at the team’s original unveiling (along with Tui Dugan, also from the academy, and Annalie Longo, representing NZF). Now, finally, she’s been given a three-year contract with the Welly Nix senior team. The longest ever issued for a WP women’s player.

The 2020 U20 World Cup was cancelled due to covid which meant we never got a follow up from that U17s team. Luckily Fraser was one of the youngest in that group and so was still eligible for the 2020 edition... although despite continually being picked for squads she also continually never played. Including at the World Cup itself. Presumably some injury things going on there. Fraser did allude to a rollercoaster few years in her career when she was unveiled by the Nix. Plenty of ups and downs in there... but it’s all led her to this moment with an A-League breakthrough on the horizon.

Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord (Born 2004)

One more for good measure, Emma Pijnenburg came through the Western Springs club in Auckland where she rose from the juniors all the way to playing her last game for them in a National League grand final (which they lost to Eastern Suburbs in December 2022). That was her last game because she then cashed in some Dutch heritage to join the Feyenoord Academy. The Wellington Phoenix are doing wonderful things in the women’s space these days (and the men’s tbf) but don’t be mistaken in thinking that they’re the only route to the pros for kiwi players.

Pijnenburg went to the U20 World Cup last year but didn’t get any minutes. That’s alright because she’s shaping up to be a crucial player in the next cycle having starred for the U19s in that Oceania tournament alongside Errington and Nathan. One of those rare players who get two U20s waves. Only in sparing cases did we see Pijnenburg and Errington alongside each other in the midfield for those U19s, coach Leon Birnie mostly kept that ace up his sleeve to ensure that even as they rotated heavily they almost always had one or the other out there to keep things flowing.

Pijnenburg has a lot in common with Errington. Both have classy ball control and can dribble from the midfield. EP isn’t as rhythmic with her passing and won’t throw in as many stepovers - though she certainly knows how to spin out of pressure - but she’s equally as good with a progressive pass. With Western Springs last year she was blessed with some absolute speedsters ahead of her and the result was a constant array of jaw-dropping through balls.

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