Auckland FC midfielder Jake Brimmer has started the 2025-26 season well. Photo / Photosport
Auckland FC star Jake Brimmer can’t wait to return to the capital – and says the Black Knights are ready to “spoil the party” for the Wellington Phoenix again.
The expansion club have completely dominated the local rivalry, winning all three derbies last season with an aggregate score of 10 goals to two. It was a painful sequence for the Phoenix, but arguably the most damaging defeat came in the first clash in Wellington.
It had been set up perfectly for Giancarlo Italiano’s team, on a sunny November afternoon in front of a massive 26,252 crowd at Sky Stadium, then a record attendance for a regular-season A-League match in this country.
But it all went horribly wrong for the Phoenix, with Brimmer at the centre of it. The Australian scored two goals in the dying minutes – the first from a calamitous goalkeeping error – to steal a late victory and stun the massed yellow support.
It felt like a Sliding Doors moment, as the Phoenix took a long time to get over that loss, while Auckland FC rose higher and higher. Brimmer has fond recollections, after a less than ideal build-up. He had the flu leading into the Sydney match the week before – which meant just 25 minutes off the bench – and coach Steve Corica retained the same starting XI for the derby.
“I was disappointed because I like playing in big games and you want to be involved as a player, you want to be starting that game,” Brimmer told the Herald. “[But] I had to bite my tongue and I just thought to myself, what can I do to help the team and how can I influence the team when I come off the bench?”
He had a huge impact. In the first half, Brimmer had studied Phoenix goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi playing out from the back regularly and took advantage of a lapse in concentration barely 15 minutes after coming on, anticipating a misdirected pass then chipping the stranded custodian.
In the 96th minute, another finish from Brimmer sealed the result, as he converted Luis Toomey’s cross into an empty net. It’s a day etched in his mind, especially because of an offhand promise he made at a pre-season fan function.
“You talk about memories and you talk about the first derby,” Brimmer laughed. “Prior to that, I had spoken to the Port fans at Tyler street and I said I’d score two goals and I happily enough did.”
Brimmer isn’t making any such promises this time – especially as he is being used in a deeper position this season – but he is in a good space. The 27-year-old has been one of Auckland’s standouts, bringing energy, invention and work rate to his central role beside Louis Verstraete. He has looked hungry and agrees with that assessment, after what was only an average first season by his standards.
A former A-League Player of the Year – Brimmer arrived at Auckland FC as one of the biggest signings – he didn’t always live up to that billing, with a third of his 27 appearances from the bench, including both legs of the semi final against Melbourne Victory.
“My goal was to go away and reflect [after the season] and I wasn’t happy with what I contributed to the team [last season] and I’ve still got a lot that I can improve on,” Brimmer said. ”That’s the mindset that any good footballer has, and I’ve really come into pre-season hungry. I am playing that deeper role and I’ve probably accepted that more this season, rather than last year, where I was a bit, not necessarily disappointed, but it was something new to me again.”
Corica likes what he has seen so far.
“He’s come back a changed man and is working extremely hard,” the Auckland coach said. ”He worked hard in the off-season as well. He is very motivated, playing really well, leading by example. He’s doing the work that we expect from him in midfield and he has the quality on the ball as well, which helps."
Brimmer will need to step up again on Saturday (7pm), as captain of the Auckland team – in the absence of the injured Hiroki Sakai – for the fourth instalment of what has become an intense rivalry.
“There will be an extra edge,” Brimmer said. “It’s not just an ordinary game ... it’s a massive derby for the country. Obviously, Wellington have a lot to play for and if everything works out for them this weekend, they could end up on top of the table. We’re there to spoil the party, as we have done the last three times.”
Brimmer is a veteran of derby matches – having experienced 11 intra-city clashes in Melbourne – and believes it is crucial to stay calm, despite the intensity.
“It’s going to get heated, tackles flowing in but it’s important that we play the game, not the occasion.”
However, that will be easier said than done.
“The derby is the stage that everybody wants to play on,” Brimmer said. “You want to perform and there is a lot at stake.”
He has been impressed with Wellington’s start to the season, with a completely overhauled squad featuring new additions like Ifeanyi Eze, Carlo Armiento and Manjrekar James already making their mark.
“It’s a credit to them and their recruitment team,” Brimmer said. “They’ve started the season very well. They look like a strong team and their defensive structure is quite good but they haven’t obviously [faced] us yet. So we’ll see how it goes this weekend.”
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.