On the Men’s National League Championship, Birkenhead United, Coastal Spirit, Western Springs, and Western Suburbs are the teams that did not compete last year but have qualified for the 2024 edition. Among these four teams, Coastal Spirit and Western Springs will be playing for their first time. The other qualifiers are familiar faces from the 2023 edition: Auckland City FC, Eastern Suburbs, Wellington Olympic, Napier City Rovers, Wellington Phoenix Reserves, and Cashmere Technical.

Starting with the teams from the Northern League, Auckland City FC is undoubtedly one of the top contenders for the title. Managed by Albert Riera, the team has already won two titles this year: the OFC Champions League and the Northern League. Although they recently lost the Chatham Cup final to Wellington Olympic, the ‘Navy Blues’ have one of the most prestigious squads and has participated in the 2024 Intercontinental Cup. While the result was disappointing (losing 6-2 to Al Ain), the team showed good performance during various moments of the match. Without a doubt, spending a full week together with the entire squad right before the National League Championship starts will have been very beneficial for team cohesion. Like many other teams in the National League, Auckland City FC has faced significant losses to the team, including Liam Gillion and Cam Howieson, who have now signed for the new Auckland FC. To appreciate the impact of these players, it’s important to note that Gillion still finished as the team’s top scorer, even though he hasn’t been part of the squad for several weeks now. However, the team  still has outstanding players like Ryan De Vries (the second-highest scorer with eight goals) and Gerard Garriga, who brings experience and contributes both defensively and offensively. The player to watch this year is the young talent, Stipe Ukich. The 17-year-old forward has proven he can handle the pressure of important matches and, with his strong performances, has earned increasing minutes in the starting eleven.

Western Springs:

will be one of the two teams making their debut in the National League Championship. Managed by Scott Hales, the team had an incredible start in the Northern League, winning six consecutive matches and remaining in the playoff zone throughout the season. In addition to the talented young players they had last season, such as Wan Gatkek, Jackson Manuel, and Matt Ellis, they added the experience and goal-scoring ability of Emiliano Tade (who scored 14 goals in the Northern League) and the defensive solidity of Aidan Carey. Both were crucial in securing Western Springs’ historic qualification for the Championship phase.

Eastern Suburbs:

As in recent seasons, Kane Wintersgill's team is one of the most formidable in the league. Although they didn’t finish unbeaten in the Northern League as they did last year, they were one of the top-performing teams and consistently made things difficult for their rivals. They were undoubtedly one of the teams most affected by the players who transferred to Auckland FC. However, they managed to maintain their level, bolstered by Jake Mechell, who is likely one of the league's most important players. The forward was the league’s top scorer with 19 goals and was also voted the best player of the tournament by his peers. Alongside Mechell's scoring prowess, the ‘Lilywhites’ benefit from the experienced Nikki Boxall in defence, who will be crucial when facing stronger teams.

Birkenhead United:

Managed by Paul Hobson, Birkenhead United has returned to the National League Championship after missing out in 2023. Birko is a very physical and fast team capable of matching up against any league opponent. A clear example of this was their semifinal match in the Chatham Cup against Auckland City FC, which ended in extra time in favour of the ‘Navy Blues.’ Recently, Corban Piper, a key player for the team, confirmed his move to the Wellington Phoenix first team. Nevertheless, they have a good balance of talented youngsters and experienced players in the National League (for instance, Luke Jorgensen and Dino Botica both have many matches under their belts), but their standout player is Monty Patterson. The forward scored 14 goals in the last Northern League and will be one of the players to watch from Birkenhead United.

Wellington Olympic:

‘The Greeks’ will look to defend the title they won last year under Rupert Kemeys and are among the top candidates to lift the trophy again this year. Despite a change in management at the beginning of the year, with Paul Ifill now at the helm, the team in traditional blue has not been affected. They started the season by winning the Charity Cup against Christchurch United (the 2023 Chatham Cup champions), which provided the momentum needed to kick off the 2024 season strongly. Although they lost in the second round of the Central League to Western Suburbs, Wellington Olympic went on to win all their remaining matches, achieving an impressive record of 17 wins out of 18. Not only did they win the league comfortably, but they also reached the final of the Chatham Cup, where they defeated Auckland City FC in a penalty shootout. The Greeks arrive at the National League Championship unbeaten in 23 matches and with three titles already this year. They will undoubtedly be one of the toughest teams to beat and are strong candidates to reclaim the national title.

Western Suburbs:

Managed by Alan Koch, the team finished second and significantly improved their performance from last year, when they placed fifth in the Central League. Among the teams qualified for the National League Championship, they gave the most playing time to players under 20, bar Wellington Phoenix. Beyond their youth, they have an attractive style of play, and the big challenge will be whether these young players can keep up with the top teams in the country. One player to watch is Lucas Meek, who scored 15 goals in the regional phase.

Napier City Rovers:

Bill Robertson’s team had a campaign nearly identical to that of Western Suburbs. Both teams finished with 40 points from 13 wins, one draw, and four losses, but Napier City Rovers ended up in third place due to scoring just one goal less throughout the season. The difference is that the Rovers will be competing in the tournament for the second consecutive year. Their challenge will be to maintain these strong results at the national level. Last year, they finished ninth in the National League, managing to win only two of the nine matches they played. The standout player for the team is undoubtedly Oscar Faulds, who scored 21 goals in the Central League this year.

Wellington Phoenix Reserves:

It’s hard to see Wellington Phoenix Reserves as contenders this season. Under the guidance of coach Chris Greenacre, the team is the youngest in the tournament, with a focus on giving playing time and competitive experience to players like Fergus Gillion, Xuan Luke, and Nathan Walker, among others. Their involvement in various youth events across the OFC this year has made their performance in the Central League significantly tougher compared to last season. They finished fifth, but were 11 points behind Miramar Rangers, who claimed the fourth spot. Keep an eye on players like Lachlan Candy and Seth Karutnaratne, and it will be interesting to see if Corban Piper, who excelled at Birkenhead United during the regional phase, can contribute his usual dynamic play.

Cashmere Technical:

Dan Schwarz's team was unquestionably one of the best in the regional phase. Cashmere Technical won the Southern League title with 47 points, achieving 15 wins, two draws, and one loss. They are a very offensive team, and one of their greatest strengths is their goal-scoring ability (they netted 90 goals in just 18 matches!). However, they conceded 19 goals during the regional phase, which indicates a tendency to leave themselves exposed defensively. Their squad includes Garbhan Coughlan, one of the most lethal goal scorers in the country. The forward finished as the top scorer in the Southern League with 26 goals, even after being away for several weeks due to travel to Ireland. Replicating a similar goal-scoring average in the National League Championship will be challenging, but last year they proved to be a serious contender at the national level, finishing fifth in the standings, and they will surely aim to climb even higher this year.

Coastal Spirit:

The team from Christchurch has been one of the revelations of the season. They managed to go 19 matches unbeaten across the Southern League and the Chatham Cup, finishing second in the league and eliminating Christchurch United from the National League Championship. Their most important player is Alejandro Steinwascher, the team’s top scorer, who netted 19 goals in the Southern League. Although they lost two matches this year, Robbie Stanton’s squad struggled against teams from other regions: they won on penalties against Hibiscus Coast in the Chatham Cup but lost 5-1 to Wellington Olympic in the same competition. They will undoubtedly be looking to change this narrative during the National League Championship.

This year you can watch all the matches of the National League Championship live and free on FIFA+. Don’t miss the action and follow your team, no matter where they play!

Men’s National League Championship Round 1:

Wellington Phoenix Reserves vs Eastern Suburbs (28 Sep, 12:30pm, Fraser Park)

Coastal Spirit vs Wellington Olympic (28 Sep, 2:45pm, Ferrymead Park)

Western Suburbs vs Cashmere Technical (29 Sep, 12:30pm, Endeavour Park)

Napier City Rovers vs Western Springs (29 Sep, 2:00pm, Bluewater Stadium)

Auckland City FC vs Birkenhead United (29 Sep, 2:00pm, Kiwitea Street).

Article added: Friday 27 September 2024