The players have remained in camp during the festive period and maintained a strict training regime as they prepare for the OFC U-17 Championship, which kicks off on Saturday at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland.
Confidence in the camp has greatly rebounded following their 3-0 defeat to the Solomon Islands national futsal team three weeks ago.
Since that loss, the Katukatus have played an additional three friendly matches including two against a Honiara selection composed of senior national team players including the likes of Commins Menapi, Gidoen Omokirio and Jack Wetney.
Their first friendly with the Honiara team ended in a 1-1 draw while their second finished as a scoreless stalemate.
They also played a friendly match against a select Marist side that included a mixture of senior and youth players from the former Solomon Islands club champions and the result was a much more pleasing 4-0 win.
A key aspect of their final weeks of preparation has been the support of several senior national team players who have given up their time to help the Katukatus.
Most notable is Severino Aefi who has spent numerous hours working with the two oalkeepers in the team and putting to good use his knowledge gained from the recently-held English FA goalkeeping course in Honiara.
Coach Chris Asipara says morale in the team is very high and the players are motivated to succeed.
“We have worked on the mental side of the game and we are confident that the players are ready to take on any team in the championship,” he says.
“The results from the friendly matches show that the players and team as a whole are building in confidence and are playing with cohesion.”
The Katukatus are in Group B and will have their work cut out for them against Tahiti, New Caledonia, Tonga and the Cook Islands whom they are pooled alongside.

Tahiti and New Caledonia pose the biggest threat for the Katukatus in the group stage but the squad is aware they must not let their guard down against Tonga and the Cook Islands.
“We will treat every one of our games as a grand final match,” team manager Taylor Qorataru says. “It doesn’t matter who we play, we will be playing at 100 per cent for each and every game.”
The Katukatus will take on New Caledonia in their opening match at 1.30pm NZT on Sunday.
For more on Solomon Islands football go to www.siff.com.sb