Ahead of the A-League season, the Wellington Phoenix defender and her team-mates sat down to outline some big dreams.
‘‘We wanted to create a moment that people in New Zealand would stop and go ‘wow’,’’ Wall told the Otago Daily Times.
‘‘It would stop people and they would think, ‘I want to be a footballer, I’m going to watch women’s football’.
‘‘I think we did do that. I think it probably inspired lots of young girls as well, which was another goal of ours.
‘‘If we’ve even just inspired one young girl to play football then we’ve [achieved what we set out to do].’’
They certainly did.
The Wellington Phoenix became the first New Zealand team to reach an A-League final — Auckland FC followed the week after in the men’s league — and came agonisingly close to lifting the silverware, losing 3-1 to Melbourne City.
While the hurt of losing the final will linger, the Dunedin-raised fullback can see the bigger picture from the outstanding season.
‘‘Reflecting is definitely hard because it was a bittersweet ending.
‘‘The feeling of that final whistle blowing in the final and not doing what we set out to achieve, those feelings kind of come back.
‘‘But after having [some time] to reflect on the entire season, it’s pretty outstanding what we achieved.
‘‘Everyone’s pretty proud of the whole team — our coaching staff, the coach, the players — we’re all so proud of each other.
‘‘It’s amazing that we actually got into the final in the first place after when you look back at previous seasons as well.’’
It was the first time the Phoenix had made the play-offs.
They finished the regular season second on the table with 10 wins, four draws and six losses — a stark improvement compared with the 2024-25 season, where they finished ninth with seven wins, three draws and 13 losses.
Former Canadian coach Bev Priestman took over and stamped her mark, but Wall felt it was a combination of new coaching, investment and belief that helped them reach the top.
‘‘From the start of the season, we were taken very seriously from our club and from those around us as well. We had better investment.
‘‘Obviously Bev, the new coach, was an insanely qualified and high-level coach.
‘‘She knew what to do in the right moments. She had a few tactics in place that were very different to anything else ... but with the right support from the club, and the right investment, we were able to latch on to those tactics and really play the way she wanted us to play.’’
Wall, 25, described Priestman as a ‘‘real character’’, who cared about the person first, and the player second, and kept on top of her players’ lives away from the pitch.
‘‘I think by establishing that and establishing that kind of culture, she’s really been able to connect with the players and connect us to each other as well.
‘‘It’s really created that really good team culture.’’
Personally, it was a bumpy season for Wall, who suffered a calf tear in February and initially was expected to be ruled out for the season.
It was a gutting blow for the new Football Fern, who also had to miss the Fifa World Cup qualifiers and two national camps.
But she backed the Phoenix to make the playoffs and used it as a driving force in her rehab to return earlier than expected.
‘‘I do consider myself lucky to be able to come back for those final series and actually play in them as well.
‘‘Because returning from injury is hard enough when you’re just playing normal games, but in a final, when every minute counts, it’s pretty hard to put on players that have just been coming back from injury.
‘‘I’m really grateful that I got the minutes and was able to contribute.’’
Wall’s future is uncertain after wrapping up her two-year contract with the Phoenix. She will take the next few months off as she negotiates a future deal.
‘‘The league has definitely come very far and the professionalism this season has been outstanding.
‘‘But then it kind of comes back to this time where we’re off contract, we’re not getting paid for three months and we don’t have a training facility either, or a team trainer, because everyone goes back to their homes.
‘‘It’s still a bit of a reminder that we definitely still have a long way to go.’’
Wall considers herself lucky to be able to return to her career as a structural engineer for Holmes.
