“It hasn’t been a straightforward season but to end the regular season away to Adelaide at Coopers on a Friday night with a clean sheet and a good performance, I’m really happy.
“It felt like a much more collective effort. We put a lot of attention on people not trying too hard and doing their roles and being collective in doing that.
“I felt we looked a lot more cohesive both with and without the ball.”
The finals start in three weeks’ time, with the A-League pausing for international football over the next fortnight.
It gives the Wellington players a chance to reflect on their regular season.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’re not done yet but I do think with the season we’ve had and the adversity, there’s been an outstanding collective effort and we have to be really proud,” Priestman said.
“Sometimes in football, you don’t stop and you don’t smell the roses.
“I think it’s really important that the group take the step back that they haven’t been able to in a really tight turnaround to actually be really proud of what they have achieved so far and then use that to fuel us to push on from here.
“I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure we turn up ready, refreshed to make a big push and make history for this club.
“This team can go all the way. As long as we don’t get in our own way, we’ve got the belief and we’ve got a collective effort who work hard.”
The Phoenix gifted Adelaide a goalscoring opportunity in the opening minute with Reds forward Lara Gooch pouncing on an under-hit back pass before shooting narrowly wide of the left-hand post.
It was to be the hosts’ only real chance of the first half.
The Phoenix broke the deadlock from their third corner 30 minutes into the match. Pia Vlok went short to Nunn, who whipped in an inviting cross to the back post which van der Meer headed back across goal and into the right-hand corner, out of reach of the outstretched Adelaide goalkeeper Claudia Jenkins.
Jenkins made a great save a few minutes later to deny Makala Woods. Woods looked to pick out the bottom left-hand corner with a first-time shot after Manaia Elliott found her in the penalty area, but Jenkins was able to push her curling effort around the right-hand post.
Nunn scored from the resulting corner, heading home a left-wing corner from Elliott after again finding space at the near post.
The Phoenix will now await the outcome of the remaining final-round matches to see when they will play in the finals.
Wellington Phoenix Women 2 (Marisa van der Meer 30’, Brooke Nunn 34′)
Adelaide Women 0
HT: 2-0
