The feature game sees defending champions Auckland City go up against Koloale in a repeat of the 2009 final, while the other Group B match should prove just as entertaining as it pits last year’s finalists Amicale with 2010 champions Hekari United. In Group A, two-time winners Waitakere United face Tefana before the first round of action wraps up on Sunday with a clash between Ba and Mont-Dore.
Much of the attention on Saturday will centre on Honiara’s Lawson Tama Stadium, where a potent-looking Koloale attack will try to breach an Auckland defence that conceded only two goals last campaign. The personnel of that rearguard remains similar with former All White Jacob Spoonley between the sticks and the likes of captain Ivan Vicelich, Angel Berlanga and Ian Hogg in front of him.
Vicelich and Berlanga missed Auckland’s 5-1 ASB Premiership win over Waikato FC last weekend due to injury but have both travelled and are likely to be joined at the back by Chad Coombes, who returns to City after a spell in England with non-league Fleet Town. Coombes is the obvious candidate to fill the right-back slot left vacant by stalwart James Pritchett, who skippered the side against Waikato in Vicelich’s absence but has picked up an injury and did not board the flight.
They will have their hands full in dealing with a frontline led by talismanic striker Benjamin Totori, widely regarded as one of the Pacific’s finest marksmen. The former Waitakare star will be joined up front by Ezra Sale or Ian Paia while skilful internationals Joses Nawo and James Naka will supply the ammunition from the wings as Koloale look to bounce back from their 2-1 S-League loss to Solomon Warriors.
Auckland are not short of skill themselves and Saturday’s game could see an O-League debut for new signing Andreu Guerao, who arrives after a season in the Polish top-flight. The Spaniard has also played in his homeland’s top division and brings a pedigree not seen often in the Pacific to Auckland.
“He’s used to our style of football and is especially good in possession when we’re pressed high,” coach Ramon Tribulietx says. “Andreu is very comfortable on the ball when space is tight.”
Guerao’s arrival, coupled with that of Argentinean striker Emiliano Tade and the return of Coombes, has strengthened the champions’ squad even further and Tribulietx is happy with the group he has put together.
“There’s now a healthy competition for places and everyone will have ample opportunity to stake their claims,” he says.
Auckland and Koloale last met in the Pacific’s premier club competition for the 2009 final, during which City picked up a remarkable 7-2 win in the first leg in Honiara. Tribulietx will be hoping for a repeat performance while Koloale counterpart Peter Eke and his men will have revenge on their minds and will be desperate to put in a good showing in front of an expected crowd of around 20,000.
Revenge will also be a strong motivator for Waitakere as they play host to Tefana, a side who seriously derailed their campaign last season with a 3-1 win in Tahiti. That result dealt a blow to the west Aucklanders’ title hopes which ultimately proved fatal and Neil Emblen’s charges will be keen to banish those memories with a resounding victory.
Waitakere won their home match against the Tahitians by the same score last time but Emblen will remember that result was by no means straightforward and that his defence was made to work hard by the likes of Axel Williams, who forced Waitakere to come from behind by opening the scoring that day.
Both squads remain similar to the previous crop with Waitakere’s most notable signing being Solomon Islands striker Gagame Feni, eager to impress after seeing only 10 minutes of action as a substitute in the 3-0 ASB Premiership win over Hawke’s Bay United. Fellow forwards Roy Krishna and Allan Pearce were both on target in that game and will be the men Tefana’s defence – which includes Tahiti internationals Xavier Samin, Stephane Faatiarau and Jean-Claude Chang Koei Chang – need to shut down.
Hekari will be looking to do the same to Amicale hitman Fenedy Masauvakalo, whose eight strikes made him the 2011 O-League Golden Boot. The striker was under an injury cloud for the Vanuatu outfit’s home meeting with their Papua New Guinea opponents but has been declared fit to play, as has Solomon Islander Joachim Waroi, who could partner Masauvakalo in attack.
Each team has plenty to prove – Amicale will be keen to show last season’s surprise runners-up placing was no fluke while Hekari are looking to re-establish themselves as a force after following their 2010 title win with a bottom-placed group finish.
Fiji’s Ba are in need of a similar form of redemption after making the final in 2007 and then posting successive disappointing campaigns. They then dropped out of the O-League altogether after failing to conquer their own backyard and are making their comeback after a two-year absence.
Coach Yogendra Dutt will be without the services of goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau, Esava Naqaleca and Jone Vono for the visit of New Caledonians Mont-Dore and will not be able to use the trio until the transfer window opens in January as they remain registered with other clubs.
But Dutt still has plenty of quality in Fijian internationals Avinesh Suwamy, Jone Vesikula, Alvin Singh and Malakai Tiwa and will fancy Ba’s chances of a home win against a Mont-Dore side making its first appearance in the O-League since an underwhelming effort in 2007.
New Caledonia football is on a high though after the national team won the XIV Pacific Games as hosts in September and three members of that triumphant squad – Jean-Patrick Wakanumune, Olivier Dokunengo and Michel Hmae – are in the Mont-Dore line-up.

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