OPINION: The angst from fans of football in this country over the strongly rumoured return of Rory Fallon and Jeremy Brockie has been out of touch with the reality of the situation facing the All Whites, as they prepare to face Peru.
This is not a squad for a friendly - this is not a squad for an Oceania qualifier. This is a special squad for a special fixture.
In picking these two, Anthony Hudson has got it bang on.
Hudson's team selections - his starting XI - in recent fixtures gives a clear signal on his plan over these two legs. He will rely on a group of about 15 players to get the job done, home and away.
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International football standards will see him name a squad of 23. Conservatively, I'm going to say that's at least five more than he really needs.
When Steve Hansen names a 23-man squad for an All Blacks fixture, every one of those players knows they will see game time. Of the eight players on the bench, some are specialists, while others are versatile utility men, expected to cover several positions.
When Mike Hesson names a 15-man squad for a Blackcaps tour, injury or form will absolutely see each of those called into action at some point or another.
This is different.
The size of any international football squad means the coach has the luxury of having a plan B on the bench for every single player in their starting XI and still have one left over. They can still only make three substitutions in a match.
Some players WILL NOT play. That is a fact.
Without naming names ahead of time, it is not terribly difficult to figure out which players might miss the cut when Hudson names his squad on Sunday.
It's not hard, because there are at least a couple who, even if Hudson encountered the worst run of luck imaginable over the next 10 days, will not be called upon, either as starters or from the bench in this fixture.
There are simply other options on the bench that would be called on, due to ability or experience. Those players will have a lot to offer in the future.
What do they offer in this fixture? Not enough.
In fact, their presence could have a negative impact - add more pressure - on those being relied upon to do the job in the middle.
In this instance, the team ranked 122 in the world is out to defy the odds against the tenth-ranked team over 180 minutes. The task is enormous.
In fact, it's not unlike the one faced by the All Whites, when they drew with world champions Italy at the 2010 World Cup.
Hudson needs players 20-23 to be voices who can add belief to the cause, if not score the winning goal. They virtually become members of the support staff.
I can categorically say Rory Fallon is one of the most positive people I've ever met in my life. He will lift the mood of those around him in Wellington and Lima, no doubt about it.
It doesn't hurt that his goal against Bahrain took the All Whites to the World Cup in 2009. That's not a bad memory to be able to call on at a time like this.
There's a strong argument for Brockie's inclusion on form alone. Sadly for him, his international stats don't mirror his club record and it's cost him the chance to be involved in these games from the start.
But he's played 49 games for the All Whites and was part of the 2010 World Cup squad. Been there, done that.
He is well-liked member of the wider squad.
The off-field contribution that Fallon and Brockie could make during such a high-pressure week for the team would outweigh whatever value a younger, more inexperienced member of the wider squad might offer in the team environment.
It wouldn't surprise me if some of the senior members of Hudson's team had a say in the selection of these two.
With a place in Russia at stake, it's people, rather than players, Hudson needs in the wider squad to have a hope of toppling Peru.
Andrew Gourdie is a Newshub sports reporter/presenter and host of RadioLIVE's Sunday Sport from 2pm.
