Auckland City FC defender James Pritchett. Photo: Brett Phibbs
Auckland City FC defender James Pritchett believes he's ready for the OFC Champions League decider on Sunday as the lure of another FIFA Club World Cup beckons.
Pritchett has won the lot with the team nicknamed the Navy Blues claiming a record haul of winners medals and international caps in a career with the club that spans ten years.
But lately the Auckland City FC veteran has been picking up injuries yet his hunger to be part of a match worth $500,000 USD to the winner burns brightly.
"I've been struggling with little niggles here and there this season maybe due to not having a proper rest in the last two years. But I trained at full capacity last night and felt good. My hand is firmly up for selection on Sunday.
"Sunday's game is do or die. It's the total sum of the last eight months of hard work put to the test and winning the Oceania title is our main focus. To get back to the OFC Champions League Final again just shows how much hunger and discipline we have. It will be a tough challenge but these are the games you want to be part of," he said.
Now 31 years old, Pritchett is arguably at the pinnacle of his physical and mental powers with a track record that speaks for itself.
Five ASB Premiership winners medals, five OFC Champions League winners medals, a pair of ASB Charity Cup victories and a handful of All Whites caps is no mean feat by any measure.
His club record 200 appearances is impressive and he also became the first player in OFC Champions League history to notch 50 competition appearances.
Most players would crave just one such success.
The key to Pritchett's longevity, he believes, is an insatiable desire to win.
"I love winning, even if it's five-a-side at training. Players can go their whole career and not win anything so to be in such gifted teams and play for a club that wants to win everything has helped me achieve my goals," he said.
And while his pride in pulling on the Navy Blue jersey borders shows no sign of dimming, Pritchett is only too aware that Amicale pose the greatest threat to Auckland City FC's hopes of retaining the championship.
"Amicale have pace and power all over the pitch. Colin Marshall is a cool, calm, collected player and for me adds another dimension to how they play.
"He knows how to dictate play, when to slow the game down, when to speed things up and he reads a game really well," he said, "But we need to stick to our own ideas that have got us in this position and put in a good confident performance."
Another quality the double centurion brings to the mix is a level head.
There's no turning his head toward the prospect of further glory, particularly when the club lost six players during the course of the season.
Cristobal Marquez, Roy Krishna and Albert Riera all secured professional contracts, while Chris Bale, Alex Feneridis and Adam Dickinson, all moved on.
"To even get to another OFC Champions League Final with a depleted squad is a pretty special achievement in itself. Each title win has a special feeling. But to win so many has been blessing, but we have to stay totally grounded and focus on the task we've been set first. There is no trophy in the cabinet yet.
As he looks back across a special career, Pritchett counts himself fortunate to have been part of Auckland City FC's first Oceania title win some eight years ago at North Harbour Stadium.
He also mentionsthe Navy Blues exploits at the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi in 2009 as exceptional
But he reserves one special memory for mention above all others.
"Watching the late Keryn Jordan score a hat-trick in two finals - that was very special," he said.
The OFC Champions League Final 2nd Leg kicks off at Kiwitea Street on Sunday 18 May at 2pm and will be broadcast as a live stream at the official OFC YouTube account.
Tickets are priced at $15 for adults and children under 16 can get in for free.
The winner of the match qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco 10-20 December.