PHOENIX NOW HAS CLAWS
Both men's and women's senior Phoenix professional football teams from Wellington whose training base is at the Heretaunga sports institute, won their matches today at Auckland's Mt Smart. And both defeated teams at or near the top of their A-League competitions prior to today.
This would have been unheard of in the last two seasons when our women's team was formed and the men had been struggling prior to that of the 2022-23 season.
It is as if the imminent formation of Auckland-based teams to rival the Phoenix club as NZ's representatives in the Australian leagues, is a spur to go so much better this season than ever before. I think the women Phoenix had not won as many games in the league in both past seasons combined as this season which is only in its sixth round.
Meanwhile Phoenix men have never done as well as early as in this season's comp since it was formed 15 years or so ago.
No longer are these teams regarded as walk-overs and they have gained the respect of the Australians including their referees who largely though not completely now treat Phoenix evenhandedly.
The coaching has a lot to do with the new found success of both Phoenix teams - as well as the world class facilities in Upper Hutt. Something by the way that the Auckland Black Knights football teams will lack.
I was at the Tuki Cafe at the sports institute last Friday and this little gem of a cafe is just another reason for the plaudits given to this amenity.
Funny enough, a few weeks ago I had a brief conversation with former economist whizz Gareth Morgan. One of the owners of the Phoenix club, Morgan has some excellent ideas about cats in restricting their opportunities to kill birds. Morgan also wanted Phoenix to loosen its defensive shackles and play an entertaining, attacking style all those years ago. Happy to say that Morgan's ambitions for Phoenix and its supporters came to fruition and these days they play crowd pleasing, goal scoring football.
Do you volunteer or know someone who does?
It's NZ Volunteer Week (16-22 June) and we know there are real good sorts in your community.
Often these kind acts and regular volunteering efforts go unnoticed but let's put a stop to that.
Let us know below who is making a difference in your neighbourhood so we can all appreciate them for the great work that they do!
Can you figure this one out, neighbours?
What is such a thing that is long when young, short when old, long when new, and short when used?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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DEMOCRACY FALLOUT, FAILING
One watches in horror as the democracy of the USA is all to quickly dismantling. The Supreme Court is the latest in a long line-up to go really rogue. After years of being tampered with politically.
Of course would-be dictator, corrupt and criminal villain Trump and Trumpism has opened up a festering wound that is probably too deep now to successfully patch up.
NZ has not got the American system of democracy thank goodness and has often been internationally ranked first or in the top three as the world's most democratic and least corrupt country in the world.
But there is cuttings at the edges of our democracy not the least displayed by the current Government. Examples are breaking election-gaining promises and even in the one they kept - tax cuts - by borrowing more than the defeated Labour-Green Govt has to cement in the financial shortfall of the tax reduction, and by going further in cutting out thousands of jobs in the public sector which also impacts on the private sector.
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