The All Whites are calling on a cult hero to help get them to the next FIFA World Cup.
1 NEWS can reveal Rory Fallon, the man who scored the goal to secure qualification in 2010, is set to become coach Danny Hay’s assistant.
"He's a hugely passionate New Zealander and hugely passionate about the All Whites, so I think he's a perfect addition,” Hay says.
“I think he's going to be an ideal conduit between myself and the players, and I don't think anybody knows New Zealand or All White culture more than him."
In fact, it’s a job Fallon’s dad Kevin held in 1982, when the All Whites qualified for the World Cup in Spain.
Speaking from his home in Plymouth in England, Rory says he wasn’t expecting Hay’s call.
"I couldn't turn it down. It's just a great honour to be asked.”
Fallon has been running an ice cream business with wife Carly for the last two years since retiring.
But he’s admitted to recently getting “itchy feet.”
"I find it really weird that it happened because I said to my wife, 'look it's time for me to start getting back into football now. I feel like if I leave it any longer I'll just fall out of the game.’
“At one stage I was happy to just do away with football. It had been so long, it's a hard graft you know?
“Most of my life, especially with my dad as a youngster, I've trained every day since I was 9 years old. So I just wanted to get away from it all really. And then it just started to drag me back.
“I was like, ‘ok I'm going to do this Plymouth Argyle [academy] job. Then all of a sudden, Danny gives me a call out of the blue."
Fallon will help keep tabs on European-based players like Chris Wood, Winston Reid, and Sarpreet Singh.
American-based former All Whites goalkeeper Jason Batty is also coming into the fold.
Hay says it’s about being strategic with how they operate.
“A good third of our squad will come out of the UK, Europe. Probably a third will come out of the States as well.
“So having somebody positioned in those places, whereby they can watch the players, build relationships, have constant contact with them, I think is going to be vitally important."
The All Whites play two international friendlies next month against Ireland and Lithuania.
For Hay and Fallon, it’s the start of the journey to Qatar 2022.
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