The format for the Pacific’s premier club competition has been altered slightly and the Kiwi rivals have been split into two groups, meaning they will play more matches against Oceania’s other top sides than ever before.
Given the recent progress of some of the region’s clubs, officials from Auckland and Waitakere believe the new format will result in a difficult path to the title and the place at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup that comes with it.
“I think it’s a positive move, I’ve always mooted that we go on opposite sides of the draw,” Waitakere chairman Rex Dawkins says of the decision to split the Auckland-based sides.
“We can understand some of the reasons why that wasn’t the case in previous years but I think you will now probably see a better competition. I also think it will benefit sides from the island nations because they like playing the New Zealand teams and it hasn’t been possible to play both with us being in different groups.”
Auckland City general manager Craig Edwards agrees there will no easy games as the eight O-League teams chase OFC’s coveted spot at the Club World Cup.
“The dynamics of the tournament are changing and all the sides are getting tougher,” he says. “It’s a challenge and it’s going to get even more challenging in coming years.
“The travelling is going to be tough. Having Waitakere in our group last season made it a bit easier in a sense because, although they were very tough opposition, not having to play out of Auckland that weekend was a benefit.”
Waitakere found out first-hand just how hard it can be to win on the road last season, dropping points in the French-speaking nations with a 1-1 draw against New Caledonia’s Magenta and a 3-1 loss to Tefana in Tahiti. Those disappointing results cost Neil Emblen’s side dearly and they were left facing a hill that ultimately proved too steep to climb.
“We have struggled every time we’ve gone overseas. In fact, we’ve probably lost or drawn more than we’ve won since the inception of the competition,” Dawkins says.
“It made it very hard for us last year when we lost up in Tahiti – it meant we had to get a result out of Auckland City to proceed any further and that didn’t happen. It’s important we prepare properly in future to make sure we’re in the right frame of mind to play sides that are improving all the time, there’s no doubt about that.”
The official draw for the 2011/12 O-League was conducted yesterday at OFC Headquarters in Auckland – and streamed live for the first time ever on oceaniafootball.com – and has given Waitakere the perfect opportunity to get some revenge on Tefana by pitting them at home against the Tahitian champions on October 30.
Title-holders Auckland have been presented with a less favourable trip to the Solomon Islands to play a Koloale side that missed out on a place in last year’s final by just a point.
“Honiara away is going to be very tough,” Edwards says. “You’d always like it to be a little bit easier with a home game to begin with. But we are going to have to play top sides away in Japan at the Club World Cup so it’s good preparation for that.”
Auckland, co-coached by Aaron McFarland and Ramon Tribulietx, qualified for December’s FIFA Club World Cup with a 6-1 aggregate win over Vanuatu side Amicale in last season’s O-League final and will be eager to return to the biggest club stage on the planet by retaining their title successfully in 2012.
But Waitakere also have a proud history in the O-League, posting wins in 2007 and 2008 and finishing runners-up in 2010, and will be desperate to get their hands back on a trophy they have not won for three seasons.
“We’re aware we haven’t won it for some time now and need to focus on that because the most important part of our season is to compete in, and win, the O-League,” Dawkins says.