The Waitakere United coach is all too aware of the abilities of the Tahitian team after seeing his men battle hard for a come-from-behind victory at home last season and then suffer a 3-1 defeat in the away fixture.
The latter result dealt a major blow to Waitakere’s hopes of a third O-League title and they went on to finish second to fierce rivals Auckland City in Group B and thus miss out on a place in the final.
With the two New Zealand sides split into different groups in the O-League for the first time this season, Waitakere now have an extra Pacific Island-based team to play but, as was the case in the previous campaign, have again been drawn to start their campaign at home against Tefana.
While the going was far from easy on that occasion, Waitakere did manage to secure the points with a 3-1 win and Emblen is hoping for a similar outcome tomorrow.
“They are a useful side,” he says.
“They have the advantage of being five matches into their domestic competition and have won four of those. A few of those wins have been convincing so we know they will be well-prepared for Saturday’s game.”
The home team also goes into the match on the back of a win though, having disposed of Hawke’s Bay United 3-0 in the domestic ASB Premiership last weekend. Captain Jake Butler was joined on the scoresheet by striking pair Allan Pearce and Roy Krishna, and the Tefana defence will need to keep a close watch on that duo.
Skilful young Solomon Islands striker Gagame Feni also poses a threat but it is one that is likely to come from the bench as the 19-year-old is not in Emblen’s current starting line-up and saw only 10 minutes of action against Hawke’s Bay.
The new campaign is Tefana’s second ever appearance in the O-League and they will be eager to improve on their inaugural effort. That shock 3-1 triumph over Waitakere was their sole win of the season and their only other point came from a 1-1 draw with eventual champions Auckland City.
But despite finishing at the foot of Group B, the newcomers did establish a reputation as being a tough side to beat on their home patch. Both of their positive results occured at their Stade Louis Ganivet ground and, if they can continue that home form and improve slightly on the road, the Tahitians could be the darkhorses of Group A.
There is certainly enough quality in the squad to suggest the men at the disposal of coach Laurent Heinis could make an impact. Heinis has the services of eight members of the Tahiti national team – which won bronze at the XIV Pacific Games in September – and 18 of the players will be aware of the challenges of the O-League after also taking part last season.
Goalscoring was an issue in 2011, with striker Axel Williams doing enough to finish top scorer with only two goals. Heinis will need an improvement on the five solitary strikes his side struck home if they are to post a higher finish this time and Waitakere’s Fred Taylor Park would be an ideal place to start finding the back of the net.
2012 O-League Match Day 1
Waitakere United vs. Tefana
Saturday 29 October
Fred Taylor Park
Auckland, New Zealand
Local kick-off: 2pm
Referee: Rakesh VARMAN [FIJ]
Assistant referee 1: Jan-Hendrik HINTZ [NZL]
Assistant referee 2: Mark RULE [NZL]
Fourth official: Nick WALDRON [NZL]
Waitakere United: 1. Danny ROBINSON [GK], 2. Jason ROWLEY, 3. Aaron SCOTT, 4. Tim MYERS, 7. Martin BULLOCK, 8. Chris BALE, 10. Allan PEARCE, 11. Ross McKENZIE, 12. Roy KRISHNA, 15. Gagame FENI, 16. Neil EMBLEN, 17. Jake BUTLER, 20. Ryan DE VRIES, 23. Jordan SWANEY, 24. Luke ADAMS, 25. Sean LOVEMORE, 27. Ross HAVILAND, 28. Andy RALPH [GK]
Coach: Neil EMBLEN
Tefana: 23. Xavier SAMIN [GK], 2. Stephane FAATIARAU, 3. Pierre KUGOGNE, 5. Luthy BOHL, 6. Heimano BOUREBARE, 7. Taufa NEUFFER, 8. Tetiamana MARMOUYET, 10. Hiva KAMOISE, 11. Jean-Claude CHANG KOEI CHANG, 12. Arnaud SICOT, 13. Stanley ATANI, 16. Sebastien LABAYEN, 17. Roihau DEGAGE, 18. Tauraa MARMOUYET, 20. Axel WILLIAMS, 21. Angelo TCHEN, 24. David CHANG KOEI CHANG, 25. Leonce ROOMETUA [GK]
Coach: Laurent HEINIS

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