Fit-again Zawada back for Wellington's ALM title push

Phoenix forward Oskar Zawada all smiles at Wellington Airport ahead of their trip to Newcastle. (Ben McKay/AAP PHOTOS)

In a huge boost for Wellington's A-League Men (ALM) title hopes, star striker Oskar Zawada has shown his fitness and could return as soon as this weekend.

Zawada, who has suffered a number of injury setbacks this year, was a surprise appearance on the training track this week as he battled to recover from a leg issue.

The towering Polish No.9 clearly showed enough to come into contention for Friday night's round-25 clash with Newcastle, showing up to Wellington Airport on Wednesday to travel with the squad.

"It's a big lift," fellow forward David Ball said.

"Knowing that he's here with us and we've hopefully got him going into those big games."

Zawada, an U21 international, has 20 goals from 36 appearances in a Phoenix shirt.

His last goal came in an 18-minute cameo against the Jets back in January - as he struggled with the same leg injury - when he climbed from the bench to score an 87th-minute winner.

A fortnight ago, coach Giancarlo Italiano said he was planning for the rest of the campaign without Zawada, such was the nature of his injury.

However Zawada, who is notorious for his love and sometimes-cryptic use of Instagram, did not give up home of a return.

Last week, he posted a slo-mo video of himself running topless on a treadmill in the gym, alongside a caption "It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up … see you soon again."

"We absolutely love him," Ball said.

"He's a character. He is one of the hardest working footballers I know in terms of the stuff that he does off the pitch.

"He will be obviously not game fit, not match fit, but I think he'd be able to give us enough minutes and we've seen it in the last game against the Jets, he is one of them players that needs one chance and he can score.

"It might be that one chance that we just need him for."

After showing his class in the ALM, he is widely expected to return to Europe at the end of his deal in June.

The Nix are fighting for a first piece of silverware in club history and are level on points with leaders Central Coast with two rounds to play.

The third-bottom Jets cannot play finals and are fighting to survive off the pitch, with financial concerns around their place in the competition.

Robert Stanton's side will have a huge say in the outcome of the premier's plate, hosting the Kiwi club this week and their arch-rivals Central Coast in the final round.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store