Away games test first-up
Federation League football returns this weekend – but none of the four local men’s sides are playing at home.
A quirk of the opening-round draw for the coronavirus-delayed competition means Palmerston North Marist, Massey University and Red Sox are all out of town, while North End have the first bye in the nine-team league.
Absent from last season are relegated Palmerston North Boys’ High, plus Hokowhitu and Wanganui City, who chose to play in the Horizons Premiership.
Levin are the new team on the block, their debut coming at Whanganui against Athletic.
Massey have a tough first-up game at Havelock North Wanderers, who last year went through the season unbeaten, while Palmerston North Marist are at New Plymouth Rangers, and Red Sox are away to Napier Marist, runners-up in the league last year.
There will be much interest in how Palmerston North Marist perform in their first league outing under new coach Kenny Santy, a professional footballer from Belgium, who has been brought in to give the local club an edge in their bid to win promotion back to the Central
League.
Last year, Marist placed third in the league behind Wanderers and Napier Marist, their title ambitions fatally damaged by their nemesis North End, who beat Marist both times they met in the league.
The prize for winning the Federation League is a crack at the top team in the Wellington-based competition, the winner going up to the Central League in a two-leg promotion series.
Palmerston North Marist have retained the backbone of last season’s line-up, bookended by last year’s Golden Boot winner Nick Carrick up front and evergreen veteran Adam Cowan in the defence.
New faces include talented youngster Elijah Smith, from North End, Jordan Joblin-hall, from Wanganui City, and Luke Minshull, from Boys’ High.
It looks like a well-balanced squad with plenty to offer, but as ever the proof in the end will depend on what happens on the day on the pitch.
One of Marist’s major obstacles, North End, will also have plenty of talent on display again this year, with players such as last season’s Golden Boot runner-up Nathan Cooksley.
Other familiar faces include Jono Steele, Cameron Dearlove and Michael Sheridan.
Coach Garry Hodge said while having a bye at the start of the season gave North End more time to prepare, other sides would have more game time.
Massey have their yearly influx of new footballers keen to show their wares, something that always makes the students an unknown quantity in the competition.
Signings include Liam Hall, who played for Taradale, Chris Tremlett, an Auckland secondary schools player, and George Andrew, who has turned out for Gisborne Thistle and played in the United States.
Massey’s leading goalscorer last year, Blair Lankshear, is back for another season, while others returning for the students include Rhys Galyer, Michael Hilson, Joe Freeman and Ryan Noble.
Red Sox coach Shane Rufer has named 20 players for his first squad, which includes Fletcher Leslie, their top goalscorer from last season.
Also lining up are Lee Rufer, Joseph Araya-lopez, Rhys Janes and Yaypay Tha, and defender Crispin moore, from marist.