After a resounding 8-0 win in Saturday’s first leg in Whangarei, the Football Ferns are firmly in control of the two-legged OFC Women’s Olympic Qualifier Play-off at the halfway stage.
While it would take a massive upset to deny New Zealand a second football team in London – the Oly Whites have already qualified – Papua New Guinea is a difficult place to play.
On Saturday, Moorwood became the first Kiwi footballer, male or female, to play 75 ‘A’ internationals and with three of those caps coming from games in Oceania’s most populous nation, she is well placed to speak of the challenges.
“Playing Papua New Guinea away is always one of the toughest games we play,” the 28-year-old says.
“It’s a country we’ve been to a few times now and one you need to be used to going into an Olympic qualifier. It’s an important game, one we need to win, but it’ll be tough and we need to be switched on.
“It’s completely different to what we are used to in New Zealand and the climate has a huge part to play.”
New Zealand’s last visit to Port Moresby ended in a hard-fought 2-0 win to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, while in a 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier against the Solomon Islands in Papua New Guinea’s second city of Lae, Football Ferns midfielder Emily McColl collapsed with heat exhaustion.
“In Emily’s situation it was a bit scary for a lot of the players and it played on some people’s minds for the rest of the tournament. It reinforced the importance of all the sports science and medical precaution in terms of hydration, medication and so on to stay healthy and fit,” Moorwood says.
“The majority of the players have been there now and know what to expect, so we’ll be doing all the little things right ahead of the match.”
Despite the one-sided nature of the victory in Whangarei, Moorwood says the team are aware there are always things to improve.
“It wasn’t a perfect game and there were times we could have been more clinical and notched even more goals. There were positives to take out of the game but it’s those things we need to improve that we’ll be working on before Wednesday to confirm a place at the Olympics.”
Moorwood plies her trade for Chelsea in the English Super League so a ticket to London would hold special appeal for the former New Zealand captain.
“The buzz around the games is definitely getting louder, more so in the last month or so before I left for New Zealand. The village is all but finished and the Games are everywhere you look. The atmosphere is pretty exciting already and London is an amazing city so it’ll be a great event.”
Amber Hearn, who picked up a groin injury in the Whangarei match, will not be risked in a reduced travelling squad of 16 for the trip to Port Moresby.
Annalie Longo, who started on Saturday, is also omitted as coach Tony Readings looks to cast his eyes over other Olympic hopefuls.
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand Football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz

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