The XIII South Pacific Games – Samoa 2007 will get off to an explosive start when French-speaking rivals New Caledonia and Tahiti
collide in a match that could ultimately decide which team qualifies for the semi-finals. New Caledonia will be battle-hardened after a four-match tour of Australia that included a 5-0 defeat against Hyundai A-League club
Central Coast Mariners last week.
The rest of the tour was rather more successful with New Caledonia recording wins over club side NSW State League club Wanderers (6-0)
and a combined Japanese University Keio (4-0) and (2-0). New Caledonia team spokesman Lucien Viriamu said the team could be happy with its preparations ahead of the tournament and singled out
Pierre Wajoka as the jewel in the crown of their campaign.
When asked if New Caledonia were a medal chance, Viriamu (left)was realistic. “I hope! We always do well. Third place is a good focus…but this tournament
will be very difficult there are many good teams here – Tahiti, Fiji, Solomon Islands…Vanuatu – the host nation Samoa will be very good and have some quality players now,” Viriamu
said.
Tahiti’s preparations have been less than ideal with talismanic midfielder Naea Bennett opting out of the tournament for
work reasons. Much of Tahiti’s attacking
options will fall to Billy Mataitai – a star for the French-Polynesians at the recent OFC Beach Soccer Championship – New Zealand 2007. With Naea Bennett missing, Tahiti will turn to another
midfielder associated with flair and verve – the effervescent Samuel Garcia.
Garcia – making Samoa his second appearance at a South Pacific Games – will be relied upon to hatch Tahiti’s midfield attacking ideas.
The one-time Bordeaux reserve player is as accomplished on the deck with a remarkable range of passing – allied to that is a gift for scoring free-kicks from distance.
The versaitility of another long serving Tahitian talent in Raimana Lee Fong Kuee (left)a veteran of two OFC Beach Soccer
Championship campaigns and an OFC Club Championship starlet in 2005 and 2006 – could be the key difference in seperating two teams for whom French bragging rights are at
stake.
New Caledonia has its own midfield hero likely to seen as an antidote to the wizardry of Garcia in AS Lossi’s Pierre
Wajoka. Wajoka’s value to New Caledonia’s cause cannot be understated with the dreadlocked craftsman synonymous with making the seemingly impossible, possible.
After a long career with AS Magenta, Wajoka elected to sign for AS Lossi guiding them to promotion from the New Caledonia 1st
Division into the nation’s top league at the first time of asking in 2006 before adding the New Caledonia Cup to the trophy cabinet after a 3-0 drubbing of O-League representatives AS Mont Dore
(picture at top).
Now charged with transferring that rare knack of turning club matches around to the international stage, something extra will be
required of Wajoka. If Games history has
a role to play the contest will be an earth-shaker with both territories able to point to a glut of South Pacific Games football gold medals stretching back to the 1960’s. Tahiti has a slight edge
with five SPG gold medal victories to New Caledonia’s four.
New Caledonia and Tahiti clash as the feature match on Match Day One at the South Pacific Games – Samoa 2007, kick-off 1500hrs (GMT-13).
The match will be broadcast live by hostbroadcaster RFO throughout the South Pacific.