Six changes to Football Ferns to face Australia
- Dave Worsley
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Football Ferns Head Coach Michael Mayne has made six changes to the 24-player squad named to play Australia in a two-match series.
Wellington Phoenix’s CJ Bott, Olivia Chance who play for Kolbotn IL’s Calgary Wild FC’s Ally Green, Betsy Hasset at Stjarnan FC’s, and Newcastle Jets’ Anna Leat all return to the team,.
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Also in is Wellington Phoenix defender Lara Wall, who is formally selected for the first time after joining as an injury replacement last month.
CJ Bott and Grace Wisnewski were named for the October internationals against the United States and Mexico but were forced to withdraw because of injuries.
Players who took part in the October internationals but not selected to play Australia are Katie Bowen (Inter Milan), Mackenzie Barry (Wellington Phoenix), Rebecca Lake (Vancouver Rise), Grace Neville (Ipswich Town), Manaia Elliott (Wellington Phoenix) and Hannah Blake (Durham).
Mayne said he is keen to use the two games as a final test of the year for his wider squad ahead of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Oceania qualifier series starting in 2026.
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“Following our challenging but purposeful matches against Mexico and the USA, which, in many ways, showed the team exactly what we needed to see at this point in our campaign, it’s good to quickly have another strong test against Australia,” said Mayne..
“This continues our strategy of facing sides we know we must compete against, and beat, if we want to achieve our ultimate goal of qualifying for, and progressing from our group at, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
“We’ve spent the past six months putting together a campaign plan we believe will put us in the best position to finish 2025 with a clear understanding of the strengths and potential within our wider squad, and move into the new year focused on cohesion and refining our team ahead of qualifying in early 2026.
“It was important for me to bring some fresh faces back into this camp and continue providing opportunities to players who deserve a recall and may bring new and welcomed competition for places.
“With players like Liv Chance, Grace Wisnewski and Anna Leat performing well in recent club matches, as well as CJ Bott returning to the pitch, they’re all players I’m pleased to welcome back for these important games.
“I also want to congratulate Lara Wall on being formally named for the first time, after impressing as an injury replacement to earn her spot.
“I think it reinforces the importance of being ready to take opportunities when they arise, and shows that I’m open to bringing in new energy going forward.
“I appreciate there are players not selected for this tour who want that opportunity, which is only healthy for our future in this campaign.
“We’ve made good progress this year, but were tested significantly on the last tour, so our job now is to continue that work in Australia, take all the positives we can from those performances, and get back to work quickly.”
New Zealand are currently ranked 33rd in the FIFA women’s world rankings, Australia are 15th.
The games will be held in Gosford, New South Wales, on Friday 28 November at polytec Stadium, kicking off at 9:30pm NZT (7:30pm AEDT).
New Zealand
Liz Anton (24 caps/0 goals) Kolbotn IL, Norway
CJ Bott (50/3) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Kelli Brown (7/0) Newcastle Jets, Australia
Claudia Bunge (36/0) Melbourne Victory, Australia
Olivia Chance (47/2) Kolbotn IL, Norway
Milly Clegg (18/2) Halifax Tides FC, Canada
Victoria Esson (31/0) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Michaela Foster (28/1) Durham FC, England
Ally Green (18/2) Calgary Wild FC, Canada
Maya Hahn (6/1) FC Viktoria Berlin, Germany
Jacqui Hand (37/9) Kolbotn IL, Norway
Betsy Hassett (159/115) Stjarnan FC, Iceland
Deven Jackson (5/0) Melbourne City, Australia
Katie Kitching (21/6) Sunderland AFC, England
Anna Leat (22/0) Newcastle Jets, Australia
Annalie Longo (142/15) Auckland United, New Zealand
Meikayla Moore (73/4) Calgary Wild FC, Canada
Emma Pijnenburg (6/0) Feyenoord Rotterdam, Netherlands
Gabi Rennie (43/2) Eskilstuna United DFF, Sweden
Indiah-Paige Riley (32/3) Crystal Palace, England
Alina Santos (0/0) University of Denver, USA
Kate Taylor (28/2) Dijon FCO, France
Lara Wall (1/0) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Grace Wisnewski (3/0) FC Nordsjælland, Denmark