Catching up with the New Zealand Football Championship

Let's take a break from Brazil and look at what's happening in the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand. Last time I reported on the New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC), the Solomon boys, Benjamin Totori especially were doing fairly well and so to were their clubs. Manawatu was undefeated and three of the top four teams had Solomon Islanders playing for them.

A week and a few days later, things have changed quite a bit. Manawatu flying high on the league table received their first defeat at the hands or should I say feet of Waitakere via a Menapi strike. That win took Menapi's team to the top of the table and perhaps more importantly, guarantee them a place in the Oceania Club Championship should Vanuatu’s Port Vila Sharks be forced to withdraw.

Now, I'm somewhat disappointed about Totori's recent dip in form (He hasn't scored in the last two games) which probably had a bearing in Manawatu's recent results (a draw and a loss) but I'm sure it's only temporary and come end of season, he'll be right up there with the golden boot, or whatever the top scorer gets.

It's good to see Menapi get back to scoring form after a somewhat quite period. Let's hope it won't be another 3 or so games before he gets his name on the scoresheet again. Just kidding, he's a quality striker.

Canterbury has been surprisingly disappointing lately. They've lost and drawn in their last two games. In all the reports I've read, Henry Fa'arado seems to be performing remarkably well despite what the results might suggest. I guess it's one of those cases where no matter how well you play, it's just not enough. Still, judging by his present performance, it'll be interesting to see him replicate that form for the national team.

The other team to feature Solomon Islanders is Waikato which unfortunately isn't doing too well. They're currently sitting at the bottom of the ladder with only two draws to show. They were unfortunate to lose out to Auckland in the dying stages in their most recent match. While the result may be disappointing, there are still a lot of games to be played and Waikato is more than capable of a top four finish. All that needs to happen is for Godwin Bebeu to break his goal drought and results will follow.

Well that wraps up the action from the NZFC. Sorry I couldn't include more info about the other players like Alick Maemae, George Suri, Batram Suri and Stanley Waita. I rely primarily on the NZFC website for information so it's out of my hands. If anybody can help me out here, I'll be grateful.

You can check out the NZFC official website via the link on the right side-bar on this page.

Also, if you want to, some more news of YoungHeart Manawatu from the Manawatu Standard: www.manawatustandard.co.nz