Wellington Phoenix matches clashing with All Whites international duty crops up every year, but Ernie Merrick's had enough.
The Phoenix coach will be missing five frontline players on All Whites duty for the season opener against Melbourne City for their A-League opener.
While Merrick's hailed it the best pre-season he's ever had, the challenge to make a successful start to the upcoming season remains a daunting one.
The All Whites meetings with Mexico and United States come at the same time as the Phoenix's October 8 clash against Melbourne City.
The Phoenix have often requested matches be postponed, but broadcasting schedules have prevented it.
This time they asked to postpone it to a weekend in March when neither the Phoenix or City were playing, but it was turned down.
The A-League said they didn't want the clubs to have played one less match than other teams for a portion of the season.
But that's often the case in leagues around the world, and Merrick's got an easy solution to what's a constant headache for him.
"In the days prior to FIFA forcing clubs to acknowledge and respect international windows, if you had two players out you had to play the game, if you had three players out the game was automatically postponed," said Merrick.
With All Whites fixtures scheduled for November and March, the season opener won't be the only time the Phoenix put out a weakened side.
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