Phoenix jetted out of Wellington yesterday for two A-League games in five days in the Victorian capital with Victory first-up at AAMI Stadium on Wednesday night followed by Sunday's game against new club Melbourne Heart at the same venue.

Buoyed by his stunning long-range strike that sealed Phoenix's 2-1 win over Sydney FC at the weekend Ward is certainly relishing the return to his former stomping ground.

"I'm excited about it actually. It's a good challenge for me and I'm really looking forward to playing against my ex team-mates and giving them a good hiding," Ward said with a grin.

"It's good to take that (confidence from scoring) into the game against Melbourne and hopefully I can reproduce something like that (against them)."

With Vince Lia (hamstring) under an injury cloud, Ward is likely to start alongside Tim Brown in the midfield again on Wednesday with Manny Muscat continuing in his role as the defensive screen in front of the back four.

"(Having Manny there) is definitely good for an attacking-minded player. It gives you that confident that if I do bomb on a little bit there's that security behind you," said Ward.

"I thought Manny played extremely well and did a great job at the weekend."

Lia and goalkeeper Mark Paston, who missed Saturday's game with a neck injury, were included in the 17-man squad that headed across the Tasman.

So was new recruit Jade North, who has been itching to join the team he signed for a month ago.

"I've been trying to get out of my contract in Norway but they needed me there (at Tromso). I just wanted to hurry up and get here."

Coach Ricki Herbert, who re-signed as All Whites coach for another two years on Monday, was coy on whether the defender would be rushed straight into the starting line-up alongside former Jets team-mate Andrew Durante, who appears to have shrugged off an ankle injury suffered in the Sydney game.

"I'll see how lethargic some of the players are tomorrow," Herbert said. "It's going to be a tough one on Wednesday and then again on Sunday.

"We've just got to have everybody at 100 percent and if that means resting a couple of players then we certainly will.

"If we shuffle the deck a bit I've got no problems as the depth is certainly there and Jade figures in that."