As the tournament – to be held in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara from 1-10 June – draws ever closer, oceaniafootball.com sat down with the 34-year-old custodian to get his thoughts on Tahiti’s chances and the disappointment of losing the 2012 O-League final with Tefana.
How do you feel about the way your season has gone?
It has been a good season with Tefana as we reached the O-League final. We also won the Tahiti Cup and will now go on to play in the French Cup which was important because we have not qualified for the next O-League and the club needs to play in a major tournament next season. It was hard for us in the national league this season because we were trying to be competitive in several different competitions.
How did the loss in the O-League final against Auckland City affect you and the other Tefana players?
The loss affected us of course but we still had another important game to play with the final of the Tahiti Cup so had to bounce back quickly. That cup game came at the right time as it gave us the chance to get over the loss very quickly and motivated us again to try to win another trophy.
Tahiti have been drawn with New Caledonia, Samoa and Vanuatu in Group A of the OFC Nations Cup. What do you think of the pool and are you confident of progressing to the semi-finals?
It is a difficult group and Vanuatu and New Caledonia will be tough in particular but we know all three of the teams have to be taken seriously. I think Vanuatu will be hard to play against as we don’t know their players or how the team plays very well. New Caledonia are a good team as well but we have already played them at the 2011 Pacific Games and know a lot more about their abilities. We also need to be very careful against Samoa because it is also a team we don’t know well at all.
You first played in the Nations Cup in 2002. How does it feel to still be Tahiti’s number one a decade later?
I am very proud about it because to play for your country over such a lond period is a good achievement. My objective this time is just to have a good tournament and represent the Tahitian people well. I feel good, both mentally and physically. We have all been training together for some time now and everything is going to plan so far.
How do you feel the Tahiti team has evolved since you were first called up?
The team has improved a lot. We play differently now and much more positively. Before, we were a more defensively-minded team but now there is a lot more emphasis on attack and we have a greater degree of variation to our game. We now have a young team with some very promising players. But we have a good mix because there are also plenty of experienced players who have taken part in many international tournaments.
Having already played at a high level for so long, what do you think the next 10 years hold in store for you?
I hope to still be here and playing like I am at the moment. As a goalkeeper, I am fortunate in that I can play for a longer period of time than most outfield players so I will try to keep enjoying what I am doing for as long as I can.

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