Coach Darren Rewi's side battled valiantly in the first half, and won a fair share of ball possession, but was overrun by Wellington after the break.
Wellington fielded three full New Zealand internationals in Renee Leota, Emma Humpries and Emily McColl and two New Zealand under-17 representatives, Evie Millyn and Tessa McPherson, so it was a formidable opponent.
Central coach Peter Royle said his side had been training regularly since October and had at least five serious pre-season matches.
Footballsouth's preparation did not compare, the team barely having had a run together despite many of them being new to the national level.
Mary Fraser and Sam Muirhead made breaks in the first half, but generally the home side, with Kushla Glover battling in midfield, was on the back foot.
The match-breaking period was just after halftime when three goals were conceded in eight minutes.
A superb match by Leota earned two goals, and she was joined by other scorers, Emma Rolston, Millyn and McColl.
Several other senior southern players were either not available or were not picked, a situation which placed great pressure on coach Rewi's younger players.
The rules of the competition state that of the 24-player squad, only five over 20 years old can be signed and just three of those can play at the one time.
