No sooner did the South Central Series begin than it was over. It was here then it was gone and it won’t come again... hopefully not anyway. The SCS only existed in the first place because the top third of the country got stuck behind the covid border. That led to some Wellington dominance as Miramar Rangers and Wellington Olympic met in the grand final for a golden Team Welly Derby. The new era of club based National League ushered in with a reminder of the old era of franchise stuff. Rangers laid the beat down with a 7-2 victory in that final to gain a trophy they presumably won’t ever have to give back.

Only two XIs for the Teams of the Season this year because of the limited number of clubs involved. Need them Aucklanders to fill out a third team. All the qualifications here are the same as offered in the women’s version: teams are selected in a loose 4-3-3 but the formations don’t really matter. None of this really matters, don’t take it too seriously. It’s an excuse to celebrate the top performers of another National League season and not some kind of definitive statement so if your boy ain’t there then so it goes. All a bit of fun.

This’ll be the last thing from the domestic football desk for a wee while now with the season coming and going in the blink of an eye like that. Which means it’s time first of all to thank you for reading these things. An article without readers is like a tree falling in the woods. Yeah, it makes a sound, but nobody gives a shit. Secondly gotta do the ol’ plug thing and say that there’s plenty more footy coverage around the rest of the way - from Flying Kiwis updating the top kiwi ballers and their club stuff each week to All Whites/Footy Ferns write-ups and plenty of Wellington Phoenix. You already know this. Thirdly if you do appreciate the yarns, just know that there is a fair bit of work that goes into them so if you wanna support that work then Patreon is the place to go. Gets you a bonus podcast each week too. Righto then.

FIRST TEAM

GK – Pieter-Taco Bierema (Selwyn United)

Starting with the official MVP of the South Central Series... which was a weird one because as good as PTB was for Selwyn – and he was outstanding – this was the second season men’s Natty League season in a row where the MVP was given to the excellent goalie of the worst team. But that’s a league problem, not a Bierema problem. PTB was superb. Commands his area really well, takes care of his angles, knows when to rush out, and he makes incredible saves. Gotta fill a defence with so much confidence to have someone that reliable behind them. Selwyn’s overall record wasn’t pretty but they hung on until late in a number of games. It was 0-0 against Cashmere after 89 mins (lost 1-0). It was 1-1 vs Olympic after 68 mins (lost 4-1). It was 0-1 vs Wests after 58 mins (lost 3-1). Suffice to say that Bierema helped keep them in a lot of those matches when the team had their backs to the wall. Then, in the last game, they finally got something to show for it all as a stoppage time Jamie Carrodus (veeeery close to second team selection here) penalty earned a 2-2 draw with Miramar.

RB – Alex Clayton (Western Suburbs)

There are plenty of downfalls to the new Natty League system, no need to get into them now. But a major benefit was having the Ole Academy guys all able to play together under their usual Western Suburbs banner rather than being farmed out to other teams. Meaning that the SCS gave us a lovely glimpse at the next wave of Ole artisans and Alex Clayton was right up in the top tier. The kind of fullback who is always in position whether the team’s set up in defence or streaking forward in transition or camped out around the oppo penalty area. Quick off the mark and speedily efficient with his movement. You’ll hear plenty more about this dude down the line.

CB – Ben Mata (Wellington Olympic)

What a unit. The Olympic captain is a proper centre-back with great size and strength and he is going to win the ball if it’s anywhere near him, don’t worry about that. In the air or on the ground. But here’s the thing... Ben Mata isn’t just an old fashioned blocker. He’s got a sumptuous touch on him too and has no dramas playing with the ball at his feet. Best indication of that: he’s the team’s designated penalty taker. Four goals this season all from the spot. He did miss one in the final, popping it off the post, but that comes with the territory. 80% is still legit. BM’s stroking them away at a rate that strikers would be proud of. Plus he’s a genuine leader on and off the pitch.

CB – Taylor Schrijvers (Miramar Rangers)

Reuniting the triumphant Team Welly central defence a year later at club level (don’t worry, you’ll see Justin Gulley’s name soon too). Mata went one way, Schrijvers went the other. Schrijvers was the fella who ended up winning the Series. With the exception of Cashy Tech’s stinginess, this was a competition where many a goal was scored and defending was less about shutting teams out than it was doing just enough to keep the balance in favour of your attackers. Well, Schrijvers is as good of a scrambling defender as you’ll get at this level. Holding down the fort to allow Rangers attackers (including a marauding midfield) to pillage their way to a league-best 20 goals in six games.

LB – Rory McKeown (Wellington Olympic)

More of a wing-back but close enough. McKeown is a master crosser both from open play or a dead ball. Such a major part of how The Greeks formed their attacks – it helps that the Northern Irishman’s pretty deadly in transition too, getting up that edge and feeding the forwards nice and quick. You don’t need the lowdown on this dude. He’s quality. You already know that. His reputation does not exceed him. Last minute winner against Wests was a particular standout moment.

CM – Wan Gatkek (Western Suburbs)

Wan Gatkek was an underrated hero for Team Welly last term, doing a fine job in the midfield maintaining possession and ensuring the ball got where it needed to go. With Western Suburbs he got to be more expansive but what’s great about Gatkek is that he has all the skills - he can spin and turn and slide and slalom - however he’s extremely tasteful about when he pulls those tricks out. Really great understanding of the game. Excellent passer. Wins the ball. And then when he needs to he can do things like this...

CM – Ollie Whyte (Miramar Rangers)

The real MVP, let’s be honest. Whyte was a class above in every game he played. Put simply, he’s too good for this level. We’re talking about a dude who just won the Golden Boot from midfield, scoring seven goals in six games (five starts) including a hat-trick against Olympic in that incredible 4-4 draw. He manipulates space as well as anyone. Doesn’t hesitate to shoot. And in a competition like this that was a little looser than usual he had licence to be as positive as he could in trying to make things happen. Which, invariably when Ollie was involved, they would. Whyte spent a year in Portugal after leaving the WeeNix academy and you get the feeling that his next pro opportunity will last a lot longer.

CM – Luis Toomey (Wellington Phoenix)

Must’ve been a slightly frustrating thing for Luis Toomey (amongst pride for his mates) seeing so many other WeeNix lads called up for the A-League squad in various capacities while he chilled back. Including a trio of hombres who left mid-SCS. Toomey was very good for them last time, he was brilliant for them this time. An attacking midfielder who can cover a variety of positions with set piece prowess in his boots and an eye for a goal contribution. Toomey had all sorts of fun as the WeeNix finished off their 2021 in style pumping Selwyn 5-0 and a heavily rotated Wests 6-0, LT scoring five goals in those riots. In an even younger WeeNix squad than usual, heavy on the rotation in this unofficial National League, Toomey was one of the relative veterans who ran the show.

FW – Kailan Gould (Wellington Olympic)

Five goals in the first three games of the season, Kailan Gould feasting like the bulldog that he is. The hatty against Selwyn was magical but arguably his most impressive game was against Miramar where he found himself as a lone striker for a team with ten-men and through sheer doggedness (and also some handy speed and skill) provided an outlet that kept them in the contest before the insanity of all the late goals... we’re talking about the 4-4 here of course. Didn’t see the best of him for Hawke’s Bay/Team Welly a year ago so this South Central Series was massive for him.

FW – Sam Mason-Smith (Miramar Rangers)

One of the premier goal scorers in Aotearoa and he has been for several years. In a Rangers team where he was potentially overshadowed by one or two other key players, Mason-Smith was able to a) play every game, and b) just focus on being a striker. No dramas there. SMS responded with four goals and plenty of sneakily intricate interplay with guys like Ollie Whyte and Andy Bevin around him. Never more than one goal in a game, no headline grabbing hatties. Didn’t need ‘em. Pure reliable striking excellence and that gets plenty of love right here.

FW – Garbhan Couglan (Cashmere Technical)

More of the same from Garbs, to be honest. He’s always one of the top strikers in these National League seasons. Coughlan is the type of centre forward who looks for work. He drops in and tries to link up. He also draws a foul better than any other player in this competition which is massive for a team as good with set pieces as Cashy Tech are. Scored three goals, including a double in the 5-1 win over Olympic, and would have had several more but he had a habit of drawing incredible saves out of goalies a9which is not a super power that any striker really wants). Still, he’s a first teamer. Only gotta watch the Tech play to see why.

SECOND TEAM

GK – Kees Sims (Western Suburbs)

Asterisk here being that he was pretty bad in the last game of the season, the 6-0 loss to the WeeNix. But that game was a boilover with a very raw squad for Wests. Other than that... Kees Sims was excellent. A proper modern goalie who can pull off superb saves to rival any of them but whose willingness to play with the ball at his feet is his best attribute. Especially his long passing. He doesn’t blindly hoof the ball clear, he pings it onto the foot of teammates on the other side of halfway. His performance in the 1-0 win over Cashmere Tech down in Christchurch was next level.

RB – Scott Midgley (Miramar Rangers)

Mostly played in a back three for Rangers but then they ran out of wingbacks and ended up having to pick four central defenders with Midgley stepping out onto the right for both the last league match and the final... where he was absolutely brilliant in both. Great energy getting up that flank and making things happen plus he even scored in the final. They were already 5-2 up at the time yet there was Scott Midgley lurking in the opposition penalty area for the finish, still making those runs. Plus obviously he’s an excellent defender so there ya go.

CB – Tom Schwarz (Cashmere Technical)

The Cashmere-Selwyn derby in week one was not much of a spectacle for the neutrals... until the very last minute when Tom Schwarz banged in a 90th minute winner. The big CB stepping up and following through. Technical only conceded four goals in five games which was by far the best defensive record in the comp. Their whole system is based on being ruthlessly tough to break down and Tommy Schwarz is arguably the most important cog in that machine. He’s a large man, never caught out of position, regularly hurls his body at shots, wins every header (including attacking set pieces), and could probably coach the team from out on the pitch if he wanted to... though he leaves those duties up to his brother on the sideline.

CB – Justin Gulley (Wellington Olympic)

Goes without saying. Things may have fallen apart for Olympic in the last two matches but even then you’d still see the calibre of Gulley’s defending on display. Not only his defending – where his timing and positioning is so good, knowing exactly when to step in and causally take the ball away from an attacker – but also his vision when he’d step up in possession. Capable of threading defence splitting pass which others in his position might not have even spotted let along executed.

LB – Oliver van Rijssel (Western Suburbs)

Played a bit in midfield, played a bit at left-back. Scored against Miramar in the opening game. Always looked dangerous for Suburbs whether he was overlapping from the back or drifting around the middle of the pitch. Very similar areas to Alex Clayton’s description. OVH is one more fascinating and versatile player coming off an endless production line of them at Ole Academy. A liquid footballer.

CM – Jayden Booth (Selwyn United)

Had to get another Selwyn dude in there and it was either gonna be the captain Jayden Booth or the creative midfielder Jamie Carrodus. Went with Booth in the end because despite Carrodus’ impressive technique and passing abilities, Booth edged it via a little necessary versatility. A lock-down defensive midfielder for a team which knew coming into this competition that they’d spend large swathes of it without the ball who also had to dip into central defence when injuries struck them in that crucial area. And played really well there too. Rate that from him.

CM – Hugo Delhommelle (Miramar Rangers)

The Frenchman with the big beard and the wonder goals. HD began things on the bench for Rangers but with other dudes coming in and out he timed his run for late in the season – scoring a screamer in the 2-1 win over Cashmere and then an even better one from a direct free kick in the final two weeks later. He combined well with Ollie Whyte, allowing Whyte to be aggressive with the ball knowing he had cover behind him... but Delhommelle picked his own moments too. Rangy dude who covers the ground well without seemingly needing to try. Tough guy when he needs to be. Magnifique.

CM – Cory Mitchell (Cashmere Technical)

Potentially the most underrated played across the last few years of National League football. Seen him do it as a centre-back, seen him do it as a defensive midfielder, here we saw him do it as more of an attacking mid. Mitchell is always a step ahead of the play. He wins his challenges. He moves the ball well. He very rarely makes anything even resembling a mistake. If you didn’t know, now you do.

FW – Jack-Henry Sinclair (Wellington Olympic)

One of the most baffling things about this SCS was how Jack-Henry Sinclair only ended up with one goal. It was shot after shot after shot, many of them brilliantly saved, the fella creating all sorts from playing higher up the field than he’s often been used in past National Leagues (more in keeping with his Central League exploits now that we’ve gone club based), running at defenders and having all sorts of fun. A bit more luck and he’d have had four or five goals, such is life. Still gotta honour the x-factor though. Several assists in there (including winning penalties) and many frightened defenders as they saw JHS collect the ball behind their midfield and turn and sprint directly at them.

FW – Oskar van Hattum (Wellington Phoenix)

Was on track for the first team until he got called up to his own club’s first team. Before Oskar van Hattum was making his A-League debut he was banging in goals for the WeeNix with four in the first two matches of the SCS. Taking his opportunity as one of the more senior men in a young squad and running with it. But then yeah after his third match he hopped on a plane for Oz (along with Finn Surman and Jackson Manuel) and in came Josh Rudland who immediately scored a 34 minute hatty while Luis Toomey overtook OVH for the team’s golden boot. Not that he’ll care. OVH has been a highly rated prospect within the Nix Academy for several years but when his breakthrough happened it happened all at once: a flurry of WeeNix goals, a call-up to the senior team, an A-League debut. All in a row.

FW – Andy Bevin (Miramar Rangers)

Had to think about this one as Bevin only started three out of six games and didn’t score a goal. But he came off the bench in two others and set up plenty so as much as there were cases to be made for the likes of Ihaia Delaney, Yuya Taguchi, Gianni Bouzoukis, etc. it just felt wrong not to have Bevin in there. He’s a master at playing between the lines. The way he links up with guys around him is a sight to behold. Andy Bevin is a perennial selection in these teams.

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