But while football fans on both sides of the Tasman sit transfixed by the AFC Cup, Merrick instead headed to Samoa for the OFC U-17 Championship in Apia.
And the 62-year-old Scot says there’s plenty of impressive young talent coming through the ranks that suggests Oceania has a bright future.
“I’ve enjoyed my stay and I’ve enjoyed the hospitality here but most importantly I’ve enjoyed the football. It’s a very well organised event, with some good football and some terrific players.
“New Zealand have won all their games so far but there are some really good players in the other teams. New Caledonia are a really good team and the 5-4 game with New Zealand was really enjoyable,” he said.
Merrick is in Samoa with his primary focus on the New Zealand U-17 side and he gets straight to the point about his objectives for his week-long visit to J S Blatter Field.
“We’re looking at talent coming through the New Zealand ranks and Jose Figuiera and Paul Temple have done a terrific job with this under 17 team and we need to see if we can bring two or three of them into the Phoenix set-up.
“We’ve got an academy, a School of Excellence and a team that plays in the ASB Premiership competition and we’ve got the senior team in the Hyundai A-League. We want to develop talent no matter where they come from in New Zealand.
“I’ve certainly seen quite a few talented youngsters at this tournament over the past week that we’ll bring in straight away for a trial, others we’ll keep a close eye on. So its all about developing skill in New Zealand specifically,” he said.
While the focus has been squarely on emerging Kiwi talent, Merrick was quick to identify two teams that for him have stood out in Group A.
“Some of the players from New Caledonia are very good and one team I was interested in particular was Papua New Guinea. They have a couple of very interesting players but we have to put that off for the moment because they do take up a visa spot in a squad in the A-League,” he said.
Krishna is the second high profile pacific player to sign for the Wellington Phoenix with Benjamin Totori – signed by former coach Ricki Herbert – released by Merrick early on in his tenure. But the former Melbourne Victory boss acknowledges the obstacles that confront players born in Oceania face when chasing their professional football dream.
“There are some very talented pacific players here who face a very difficult situation to become a professional player because they’re visa players wherever they go and they don’t necessarily have a high standard domestic competition to compete in.
“It would be great if we could change the regulations at Football Federation Australia and in the Hyundai A-League to allow more island-based players like Roy Krishna to play as non-visa players for the Wellington Phoenix. We’ll work on that for now but I don’t know how we’ll go, all I’d say is that there is a lot of talent out there in Oceania,” he said.
The mere mention of Roy Krishna is enough to bring a smile to face of ardent Phoenix fans given the prolific form of the Fiji international striker and Merrick hopes there is more to come from the player who scored goals for fun with Waitakere United and Auckland City FC.
“Roy Krishna was a revelation in the ASB Premiership and he’s shown he can play in the Hyundai A-League as well. In the last couple of games he had a slight hamstring tear but our assistant coach Chris Greenacre tells me Roy’s bounced back from that.
“Roy is looking sharp again and I think he’ll feature in the second half of the season and let’s face it, it’s the toughest part of the season. You have to perform really well and consistently if you want to feature in the playoffs and finals.
“Being second top at this stage of the season reminds me that everything can be temporary in football, so we really need to play consistent football and make the finals,” Merrick added.
As Merrick’s Oceania mission draws to a close, what are his views of the pacific talent he’s witnessed in Apia over the past week and is the future bright for the game in the wider region?
“I used to be involved with the Australia U-17 and U-20 when Australia was still part of Oceania, so I have a pretty good idea of where Oceania is at.
“As I keep saying, there’s a lot of talent in New Zealand that we first need to develop, but there’s also a lot of promise in Oceania football. You just need to see the athleticism of their rugby union and rugby league players to know there’s talent out there.”
Wellington Phoenix’s next match in the Hyundai A-League is away to Brisbane Roar on February 2.
For more information about the Wellington Phoenix please visit www.wellingtonphoenix.com