AUSTRALIA: Vanuatu pair Richard Iwai and Etienne Mermer were again the star performers of Oceania’s Island contingent in Australia’s State Leagues at the weekend.

A late goal, accredited to Mermer, was the difference in Mitchelton’s 1-0 victory away to Eastern Suburbs. Mermer’s goal, his third of Mitchelton’s campaign, came after he was introduced to the match as a substitute in the second half.

Compatriot Iwai played a full game and was again a key contributor in the victory that has seen Mitchelton retain second spot in the Queensland Premier League after six rounds.

Earlier in the week, Mitchelton suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of QPL giants the Queensland Lions in a preliminary round Cup fixture. Both Iwai and Mermer started the match, with the latter being substituted in the second half.

Also in Queensland, there was also good news for Taringa Rovers’ Papua New Guinean midfielder Alex Davani on Saturday night.

The Rovers registered their first win of the campaign, a 6-0 thrashing of the Toowoomba Raiders at home.

Davani played the whole match, which saw Taringa jump off the bottom of the league and into ninth place with four points.

Like all leagues in Australia, the QPL will pause over Easter and resume in a fortnight.

Upon resumption, fans of the Oceania flavour in the QPL will be keen to catch Mitchelton hosting Taringa at Teralba Park on Saturday, 17 April in what is sure to be an entertaining clash between two sides high on confidence after a successful weekend.

Conversely, Samoan goalkeeper Pasi Schwalger had another weekend to forget, with his side the Preston Lions losing their second match straight, 1-0 away to Frankston Pines.

After a promising start to the 2004 season, Preston now sit sixth, one point outside the top five and without a goal in their last two matches.

Schwalger played a full game on this occasion and will be hoping his side returns to form when they take on Green Gully away from home on April 18.

Off the field, NSL striker and Fiji star Esala Masi has signed with Northern New South Wales State League outfit South Cardiff for the upcoming season.

Masi will be in action for the first time after Easter when the league kicks- off and has already made some appearances for South Cardiff in the President’s Cup, a pre-season, round-robin styled tournament. – by Australian correspondent, Benjamin James Coonan