By Logan Smith, Jack Sharp and Harrison Ryburn
This year’s Men’s National League gets a refresh, with four of last season’s clubs failing to qualify, opening the way for new challengers.
The 10-team league includes some clubs who missed out last year, and Canterbury’s Coastal Spirit who make their debut in the competition.
The teams play a nine-round schedule before the top two meet in a grand final to decide who can claim the national crown.
Reigning champions Wellington Olympic should arrive as favourites, having won the Central League and Chatham Cup already this year, but they are sure to have their challengers.
Here’s how we see the league rolling out …
Northern League
By Jack Sharp
Auckland City
Last season: 2nd
Northern League: 1st (champions)
Last year’s National League runners-up, Auckland City will be highly motivated to regain their crown from Wellington Olympic.
Olympic beat them in last season’s Grand Final, and then repeated the dose with a penalty shootout win in September’s Chatham Cup final.
Since then, coach Albert Riera had to prepare his squad for the sudden-death FIFA Intercontinental Cup tie against Asian club champions Al Ain, which they lost 6-2 in the heat of Abu Dhabi.
With only a six-day turnaround from that game, City will have a challenging start to the National League season.
However, they’ll do it with at least three new signings, having re-signed former striker Myer Bevan (from Canada) and Auckland United players Yuki Aizu and Nathan Garrow.
Bevan (27) primes as the one to watch, having topped the scoring charts in the Canadian Premier League with Cavalry, but needs to build match fitness.
The Navy Blues have lost striker Liam Gillion and midfielder Cam Howieson, their captain from last season, with the pair joining A-League club Auckland FC.
Western Springs
Last season: Did not qualify
Northern League: 2nd
Springs finished second in the Northern League after the making a late charge and will draw on the experience of former Auckland City players Emiliano Tade and Reid Drake.
Head coach Scotty Hales has bolstered his squad with the additions of former Wellington Phoenix pair Kurtis Mogg and Ben Wallace, both joining from Auckland United who fell short of qualification this year.
Tade (36) has found a second wind after moving from Kiwitea Street at the end of last summer, scoring 14 goals and finishing joint runner-up (with Birkenhead United’s Monty Patterson) for the Golden Boot.
Dawson Straffon may also be one to watch, having played overseas and then for West Coast Rangers before switching to Springs mid-season.
Since returning, the 2022 Springs’ Player of the Year has already added eight goals as Springs climbed up the table.
Eastern Suburbs
Last season: 4th
Northern League: 3rd
Suburbs are in the National League again thanks to a third-place finish in the Northern League but have faced something of an exodus of quality players to A-League outfit Auckland FC.
Goalkeepers Joe Knowles and Michael Woud, defender Francis De Vries and midfielders Luis Toomey and Finn McKenlay have departed Suburbs for the new A-League side.
Despite this, head coach Kane Wintersgill will still go into the National League with a strong squad, and he’s added winger Dan Atkinson (21) from Auckland United.
Striker Jake Mechell should continue his good form and be a Golden Boot threat, having run away with this year’s Northern League Golden Boot, scoring 19 goals.
Though he’s been at the club since 2019, Mechell (25) has become Suburbs’ talisman this year and the National League provides him with the chance to stamp his form against the best domestic defences in the country.
READ MORE: Eastern Suburbs aim for quick gains in nine-round Men’s National League >>>>
Birkenhead United
Last season: Did not qualify
Northern League: 4th
For most of the Northern League season, Birkenhead United looked genuine title contenders, pushing Auckland City for the lead
But strong finishes from Western Springs and Eastern Suburbs saw them drift to fourth place, a position that would not qualify for them for the 2025 National League when Auckland FC reserves join the competition with a guaranteed entry.
However, Birkenhead were an exciting side to watch and scored more Northern League goals — 54 in their 22 games — than any of their rivals.
Monty Patterson’s move from Manurewa paid off from the outset, bagging 14 goals, while Sam Phillip was slower to make an impact but settled well and finished with an impressive 10 goals.
Hard to replace may be midfielder Corban Piper (22) who has signed for Wellington Phoenix.
Midfielder and captain Luke Jorgensen (25) will need to provide leadership for Birkenhead to regain momentum and be among the league’s leading group.
They’ll have to hit the ground running too, with an away game at Auckland City their National League opener.
Central League
By Logan Smith
Wellington Olympic
Last season: 1st (champions)
Central League: 1st (champions)
It’s been another strong season from Wellington Olympic so far, comfortably wrapping up the Central League title by an eleven-point margin and taking out the Chatham Cup too.
Perhaps the only sore point will be that they lost their early-season OFC Champions League playoff against Auckland City, a competition they would have felt capable of winning and which City did go on to win.
However, they still boast sheer quality and experience all over the park and will go into the National League Championship as favourites.
Hamish Watson is a guarantee for goals at this level, while Jack-Henry Sinclair, Ben Mata, Luke Tongue, Justin Gulley and Scott Basalaj bring experience and leadership.
Beyond the experienced heads though, Olympic have picked up a habit of signing players let go from the Phoenix academy, and among those, defender Luke Supyk and forward Kaelin Nguyen may be bright sparks to keep an eye on.
Western Suburbs
Last season: Did not qualify
Central League: 2nd
Western Suburbs have perhaps gone under the radar, but the club has done impressively to re-mould it’s squad and return to the National League by qualifying comfortably in the end.
Unlike some sides that qualified, they aren’t blessed with a mass of well-known New Zealand talent, but they’ve more than made up for that with performances from promising youngsters and a raft of North American imports helping them to second place in the Central League.
In fact, their two top scorers both come from that part of the world. Lucas Meek, formerly drafted by Inter Miami, has put 15 into the back of net since arriving, while Canadian Connor Wilson has eight.
Goalkeeper Quillan Roberts, who represented Guyana at international level, has also helped the cause even though he’s only notched up a couple of clean sheets.
Suburbs’ attacking gameplan should make them an entertaining watch in the National League Championship, but it could still be tough against more experienced opponents.
Napier City Rovers
Last season: 9th
Central League: 3rd
Napier City Rovers are back in the National League for the third time in a row, making them once again the only club outside of the main centres to qualify.
They’ve got stability with the able leadership of Bill Robertson again, and a squad with options and balance. Steven Hoyle and Jonty McNamara will be a threat going forward, while Danish ‘keeper William Tønning has had a consistent season too.
But the number one man to watch has to be young striker Oscar Faulds.
Returning from Europe after sickness and a last-minute contract cancellation scuppered his chances of a pro deal in Scandinavia, Faulds (22) will now continue playing for Napier City Rovers in the National League Championship.
Opposing defenders should be fearful as he’s powered 23 goals in already to win the Central League golden boot.
With a point to prove, he could be a shout for National League Golden Boot, and Rovers will certainly hope so if they are to improve on eighth and ninth place finishes in the last two years.
PREVIEW: Star striker back at Napier City Rovers for National League campaign >>>>
Wellington Phoenix Reserves
Last season: 8th
Central League: 5th
Despite competitive showings in recent National League campaigns, there’s little doubt that the Phoenix reserves will be the outsiders this time around.
A fifth-place finish in the Central League meant they qualified only by virtue of their automatic place, rather than in past years where top four finishes would’ve been enough to qualify on merit anyway.
It’s always a young team put out by the Phoenix, and the first team’s enthusiasm to promote the best to the first team squad has stretched them too, with the season also disrupted by the OFC U-16 and U-19 Men’s Championships.
The Phoenix have taken to recruiting around the country more, so it’ll be interesting to see players like Dublin Boon and Dylan Gardiner get a taste of National League action with the side affectionately known as the WeeNix.
READ MORE: Phoenix name squads for women’s and men’s National League campaigns >>>>
Southern League
By Harrison Ryburn and Logan Smith
Cashmere Technical
Last season: 5th
Southern League: 1st (champions)
Cashmere Technical continue to be regulars in the National League, having qualified for every edition under the new format (including the South-Central Series in 2021).
However, after losing the Southern League title to Christchurch United two years running, they’ve had a brilliant season 15 wins in 18 matches to reclaim the league title and qualify again.
Garbhan Coughlan looks to be the star man, as despite spending weeks away overseas, he still banged in 26 goals to comfortably finish league topscorer again.
However, with an otherwise settled team including players such as Tom Schwarz, Yuya Taguchi and Matt Tod-Smith who have banks of National League experience, they look strong all over the park.
It’s also looking likely they will sign keeper Pieter-Taco Bierema from Selwyn United as an injury replacement, who won the best player award in the 2021 South-Central Series.
The big test for Technical will be adjusting well to playing strong teams every week, as their ability to hammer weak opponents won’t be much use at this level.
Coastal Spirit
Last season: Did not qualify
Southern League: 2nd
It’s been an enthralling season for Coastal Spirit, with a tense final day seeing them stay ahead of Christchurch United and qualify for the National League Championship for the first time.
Since qualifying, they’ve picked up Riley Grover and David Yoo from Christchurch United, as well as Ferrymead Bays defender Zac Bryant. However, they will miss Dominick McGarr who is taking time out during the National League.
It’s hard to judge how Coastal will match up on a national scale, but like Technical, they’ll have to adapt to a higher weekly level of opposition.
While they ultimately succumbed to a 5-1 defeat when they played Olympic in the Chatham Cup, they’ve had four victories on the trot including an English Cup title win recently.
Olympic are returning to Christchurch this weekend and the Spirit could bounce back and start the National League with a bang with a good result.
Season predictions
It’s hard to look past Wellington Olympic and Auckland City as the clubs most likely to be fighting out the Grand Final in December.
If any side can make it a three-way battle, it could be either of the South Island entries, Cashmere Technical or Coastal Spirit.
I’ll tip Olympic to retain their title, and fancy Technical to benefit from last season’s experience to take third spot, behind Auckland City.
— Jack Sharp
While Olympic and Auckland City look like frontrunners again, the latters’ close Northern League run-in shows they could be challenged by any of the other qualified clubs from that region.
In particular, I can see Western Springs giving it a real push.
Southern League champions Cashmere Technical can’t be ruled out, but this league is a sprint, and I’m not sure they can adjust to speed quickly enough after the stroll that was their Southern League campaign.
— Logan Smith
Fixtures
Games to be played on Saturday September 28, 2024
Wellington Phoenix Reserves v Eastern Suburbs
Fraser Park, Taita, 12.30pm
Coastal Spirit v Wellington Olympic
Ferrymead Park, Ferrymead, 2.45pm
Games to be played on Sunday September 29, 2024
Western Suburbs v Cashmere Technical
Endeavour Park, Whitby, 12.30pm
Auckland City v Birkenhead United
Kiwitea St, Sandringham, 2pm
Napier City Rovers v Western Springs
Bluewater Stadium, Napier, 2pm
Logan Smith
Logan Smith is a passionate football fan and volunteer, based in Dunedin, covering the Southern League.
Jack Sharp
Jack Sharp is a long-time follower of club football in New Zealand and is a volunteer writer for Friends of Football. You can show your appreciation for his work by buying him a coffee.
Harrison Ryburn
Harrison Ryburn is a Canterbury-based football writer.
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