Mental health takes its toll on Phoenix midfielder

Phoenix midfielder Grace Wisnewski will miss tonight’s Women’s A-League match against Melbourne Victory due to mental health issues.

Trainer Gemma Lewis says Wisnewski has been battling anxiety for the past 18 months and has received professional support throughout the season.

“We’ve supported her and we think she’s an amazing player and an amazing person, but obviously this has been important to her and even before coming here (to Australia) she was working through mental health issues and dealing with some anxiety, and we’ve supported her throughout this entire program, both at home and here,” Lewis said.

Lewis has praised Wisnewski’s honesty and backed his decision to sit out the game due to the short time between games.

“We’re hugely supportive of that and we also think it’s the right decision for the team.

“As much as it’s a huge loss for us because he’s played 90 minutes of all of our games and he’s a huge workhorse for us, we also respect where he is and how much he’s been pushing.”

“With the short changeup, she doesn’t get good recovery space and settles in with enough time to be ready again, and she doesn’t want to put the team in any necessary damage by not playing as well as she would have liked.” to.”

Wisnewski was a key member of the New Zealand under-17 team that finished third in the 2018 World Cup.

Meanwhile, changes to New Zealand’s border restrictions will come too late for the side.

The Phoenix have been based in Australia for their inaugural A-League season and will finish the season in Tasmania.

However, Lewis says that the government’s plan to eliminate MIQ gives the team the certainty of returning home.

Lewis says there would be league-wide benefits if games could be played in Wellington next season.

“When you try to make this league more professional, I think it’s important that we play properly at home and away.

“We’ll see how it goes but we’ll definitely be pushing and hoping next year they play properly at home and away in Wellington.”

The Phoenix are yet to win this season, but Lewis sees potential for a winning streak late in the season.

“We look at the next five games and feel like there’s more at stake than just one win there and based on our current performances and the opposition we’re up against, we’re not necessarily happy with just one win.”