2022 Men’s National League – Team of the Season

The season ain’t over until these bad boys get released, The Niche Cache’s National League Team of the Season. A season which ended with triumph for Auckland City... who could have predicted that, aye? There’s simply no stopping them. Four major trophies in one year... Wellington Olympic gave them as good a run as anyone with some sizzling form throughout the National League leading into a brilliantly competitive grand final but in the end it was the Navy Blues who got their hands on another piece of silverware.

Good yarns from those two, who combine for 15 of the 33 players across these three teams: a First XI, Second XI, Third XI format because picking only eleven dudes doesn’t do it justice. You end up with most of the obvious candidates and there’s not much fun in that, particularly when having to snub a bunch of really interesting next tier players... nah mate. Spread the love around. Scoop up a few emerging youngsters in the second and third teams so we’ve got receipts when they crack the big time in a few years. No worries whatsoever.

For anyone who needs to hear it, these things are merely a generic way of celebrating the best footy players in the country. There’s nothing scientific here and any selection is open to debate – that’s what’s so enjoyable about All Star teams. You might have a completely different opinion to me and that’s cool, we’re all just trying to boost up the domestic game in Aotearoa.

With that in mind, I’ve picked the teams in the same loose 4-3-3 formation that the Team of the Week efforts from our Substack newsletter throughout the season (deffo sign up for that beauty, always good yarns therein as well as the relevant podcast/article links). Yet all rules are my own and I reserve the right to break them – such as picking an extra centre-back at left-back because I thought he deserved it more... for example. Feel free to hit us up with your own XIs. Now let’s do the thing.

FIRST TEAM

GK – Conor Tracey (Auckland City)

This may not be the obvious pick - since NZF’s silly MVP formula gave that award to Birko’s Silvio Rodic (who had a solid season but doesn’t make any of my three teams) - but it probably should be the obvious pick. Tracey played every game for the champions (no mean feat given he kept Cameron Brown on the sidelines), keeping four clean sheets which was the most in the competition. And while there were several games in which he didn’t have much to do, there were also plenty in which his clutch shot-stopping came in crucial for an ACFC team that, if we’re keeping it a hundy, didn’t quite have the firepower it’s had in the past. They needed a clinical keeper and they got one. The long hair tied back and the jet black gloves oughta be an iconic NL sight from here on.

RB – Jack-Henry Sinclair (Wellington Olympic)

The Rightful MVP! It might be a stretch to have him as a right back given his actual role for the Greeks was as a hyper attacking wing-back... but close enough. It ain’t like he didn’t do his share of defending, covering plenty of ground down that right edge. However it was definitely the attacking exploits that made him stand out so drastically, we’re talking about five goals and seven assists and plenty of thrilling football taking his team from defence to attack in an instant. Plus while Garbhan Coughlan retains the crowd for most fouled player, JHS gets the supplementary award for most fouls leading to a card. There was a game against Auckland United in which three separate blokes were booked for chopping him (needless to say he sat out the next game). Plus there was Reid Drake’s red card in the grand final. If the Phoenix can’t find a spot for him then surely some other A-League team can.

CB – Kurtis Mogg (Auckland United)

The trend was already clear before the National League began. As soon as Kurtis Mogg joined AUFC, upon graduating out of the Wellington Phoenix Academy without a senior team contract (he used to captain the WeeNix), their defence went from good to great. That trend continued into the Natty League where Mogg looked every bit the professional leader he is, dominating in the air and on the ground and moving the ball around smoothly in possession. Only the two finalists conceded fewer goals than Auckland United. Just a shame to see Moggy badly injured in the second to last game.

CB – Dino Botica (Birkenhead United)

If there were a Most Improved Player award then there’s a good shout that Botica ought to win it. He’s always been a solid defender but this year he ascended into the ranks of the very best in the nation. At 23 years old he’s a leader for a pretty young Birko team, setting the tone with some enticing physicality. Not too many blokes can tackle as hard as DB, let alone with the headers that he does, and that also translated into some set piece target antics as he scored a couple goals getting forward. An outstanding season from the fella.

LB – Sam Brotherton (Auckland City)

Told you there was an extra CB sneaking in... but Brotherton just had to be here. There were three standout central defenders all worthy of first team selection thus there are three central defenders selected in the first team. Brotherton’s left-footed so he can do the LB things. That Auckland City backline was superb, breaking plays up before they even had the chance to develop and excelling in possession as well. Brotherton (and Adam Mitchell, whom you’ll hear of soon) is completely comfortable on the ball and an essential part of ACFC’s build-up. He also scored a ripper of a goal against Birkenhead to spark a late two-goal comeback.

CM – Michael Den Heijer (Auckland United)

Another bloke who has had professional experience. Den Heijer plied his trade in the Netherlands for a couple of years (TNC actually interviewed him while he was over there – good dude) and it clearly showed. Nobody read the flow of a game or anticipated where the ball was going better than MDH, whose defensive midfield prowess only grew in statute as the term went on. He’s the Casemiro of Aotearoa.

CM – Luke Jorgensen (Birkenhead United)

Chuck in another Birko player. Not only did Luke Jorgensen have the finest mullet in the competition but he also served up some mean midfield activities too. A real scrapper in the centre of the pitch who doesn’t stop running, transforming things from defence to attack in an instant and popping up with a few goals in the process – four of them, in fact, including a couple successful spot kicks. The goal he scored against the WeeNix in the final game was a screamer of the highest order. A glorious long ranger. Have some of that.

CM – Cam Howieson (Auckland City)

No surprises here. The only player in the league who gets semi-regularly called up to the All Whites despite being an amateur, Howieson is consistently one of the absolute premier performers in the competition year after year (and format after format). His composure on the ball in that City midfield is always a highlight and every game he produces at least a couple of brain-melting incisive passes. Oh yeah and this season he also scored one of the great long-range goals so there was that too. Three goals and three assists from midfield is top shelf. However the abiding memory of him from this season, along with that 70 metre goal at Kiwitea Street, might just be CH putting in a shift at left-back in the grand final to get his team over the line for the 2022 championship.

FW – Jesse Randall (Wellington Olympic)

This one came down to a toss-up between two teammates. It was either gonna be Jesse Randall or Kailan Gould. Randall had the better numbers but Gould was arguably a bit more influential in the team’s style of play. Randall won out in the end because, well, how are you not gonna have the reigning Assist King in the first team? Jesse Randall had a league-best 16 goal involvements thanks to seven goals and nine assists. Five of those goals all came at once in a 7-1 hiding dealt to Christchurch United and it wasn’t actually until the seventh game of the term that he finally scored his first... but he was dishing up assists the entire way so no dramas. Capable of searing past defenders on the dribble with his lightning speed. Randall’s only 20 years old and this was not his first standout National League campaign (although it was his best and most consistent by far). Absolutely one with the potential to step it up into the professional realms.

FW – Garbhan Coughlan (Cashmere Technical)

There were two Golden Boot winners in 2022, tied with nine goals each. Here’s the first of them. Garbhan Coughlan was on a whole other level for Cashy Tech as he scored copious goals along with setting up three more. The Irishman was the puppeteer for the majority of their best work and that was never clearer than the loss to Auckland United when he went off injured in the first half (having already scored from the penalty spot) only for his team to plummet without him. Nobody draws a foul better than Coughlan. He’s both a poacher and a creator. Drops deep to help the build-up, showing off mad passing range, and still constantly gets himself into shooting positions. The bro was absolutely brilliant.

FW – Gianni Bouzoukis (Wellington Olympic)

Now here’s the other Golden Boot winner. Bouzoukis actually had one more assist than Coughlan and got to his tally without any penalties, for what it’s worth. This guy is a proper number nine. Someone who knows how to hold the ball up and work it around but also always has it in the back of his mind to hunt for that eventual cross/through-ball/etc. As with all the Olympic forwards he’s fast and direct. An excellent finisher too. Started every game and, like Coughlan, scored in six of them. Not a difficult decision to have him rounding out the First XI.

SECOND TEAM

GK – Scott Basalaj (Wellington Olympic)

The only other goalkeeper that felt like a contender for the top team, Basalaj did not miss out by much... and of course making the seconds is still a legendary honour. Basalaj kept three clean sheets all in a row from weeks 2-4 and outside of the two games against Auckland City there was only once that he conceded more than once in a game (a 5-2 win over Napier City). A proper veteran at this point, The Bas simply does not make mistakes. And if you’re looking for a little more funk, check out his bullseye long throws for yet another example of how that Olympic team could spark a transition attack from anywhere.

RB – Dylan Hobson (Birkenhead United)

Played more at CB than RB but he did do both roles and this way he gets to make the second eleven. Thing about Hobbo is that he rips in like the rest of those Birko defenders but it’s something else that sets him apart: his dead ball delivery. Scored one of the goals of the season in a 2-0 win over Auckland United, a direct free kick that fizzed into that net. Plus he also set up the second goal with a cross from a deep free kick. His corner kicks were spot-on almost every time. Gotta deliver the goods if you’re the coach’s son and Hobby certainly did.

CB – Justin Gulley (Wellington Olympic)

Might’ve pushed the top team except he missed three games along the way. All goods. Olympic had the tightest defence across the nine regular season rounds, conceding only eight times (and tied at 11 concessions each with Auckland City after the final) – including a couple against Auckland City in the season opener which Gulley missed. That back three was rock solid, mate. No weak links. Although Gulls gets some extra buzz for not only having things on lock defensively but also regularly stepping forward in possession and hitting those superb passes forward to their limitless collection of forwards. Gulls and JHS working up that right flank... unstoppable.

CB – Adam Mitchell (Auckland City)

The other Auckland City centre-back and an equal force within that combination. Brotherton snuck into the first team thanks to his left-footed distribution and a cracker of a goal against Birko but Mitchell also hits a mean pass and scored one for himself so it could’ve been the other way around. Pretty much all the same things apply here. Mitchell and Brotherton have 15 All Whites caps between them and they’re each only 26 years old. Both have played some professional footy overseas, Mitchell in Europe and Brotherton in America. Put simply they’re a step above.

LB – Harshae Raniga (Auckland United)

A one-cap wonder with the All Whites thanks to Anthony Hudson’s wide net, who remembers that? Came off the bench in a 1-1 draw away against Myanmar in 2015. Same game as Alex Rufer made his international debut... as well as Liam Higgins and Benjamin van den Broek. Those were strange days. But there’s a reason that Raniga got that nod ahead of other local defenders and seven years later we were served a long overdue emphasis of his abilities. Now 28yo, Raniga is a strong fella with plenty of ability. Sturdy and assured on the left and capable of dropping into a back three. Another reliable force within an excellent AUFC defensive set-up.

CM – Gerrard Garriga Gibert (Auckland City)

Best known for his work with Waitakere in the old Premiership, GGG moved to Auckland City at the beginning of the year to bolster their Spanish influence and he went on to be one of only three ACFC players to start all ten National League games (Tracey and Mitchell being the others). Initially as a more advanced midfielder complimenting Cam Howieson then slipping deeper after Mario Ilich began missing time. GGG just got better and better as the season went along, delivering his finest performance in the grand final (in which he scored the second goal). A silky practitioner gliding around the park making the right passes. He’s a perfect ACFC midfielder.

CM – Dan McKay (Wellington Phoenix Reserves)

Perhaps not the bloke that most would have picked preseason as the standout from the WeeNix Class of 2022 yet here we are. All the WeeNix players get to this stage looking technically strong and tactically sound. With McKay, he’s both of those things but better. His methodical short passing is key but McKay also sprinkles a bit of fizz in there too, contributing a couple of assists along the way. He doesn’t stop looking for that killer ball and shows good judgement as to when it’s worth a punt. There was a no-look pass to set up Adam Supyk’s goal against Melville that oughta stay on constant repeat, this fella’s a talent.

CM – Josh Gallety (Melville United)

Along with Hobson, Galletly was one of the two heroic set piece takers of the 2022 campaign. Unlucky to miss out on the Oceania U19s champs squad, JG rallied with a bunch of impressive midfield yarns for Melville. His swift distribution in open play and his pinpoint deliveries from dead balls combined for a massive impact. Two brilliant free kick goals to go with his three overall assists. And he capped it all off by missing the final game so that he could trial with the Melbourne City academy. Watch this space.

FW – Kailan Gould (Wellington Olympic)

The English Bulldog. Only just missed first team selection, as already discussed. An absolutely tenacious player with a great left foot whose willingness to search deep for the ball then spin past a marker and carry it into an overload is always a thrill. He scores some wild goals however his distribution is arguably even better than his finishing, whether you’re looking for a dart of a cross or an incisive through ball. Three goals. Four assists. Heaps of wins. There ya go.

FW – Oliver Colloty (Melville United)

It is not an ordinary thing to be leading the line as a National League centre-forward at 19 years of age. S’pose that means that Oli Colloty is not a normal player. Tied for the Golden Boot at the Oceania U19s champs just before the season, along with teammate Kian Donkers (who played for Cashmere Tech), Colloty kept that form up in the Natties. Six goals including three from the penalty spot. Melville were winless in their first four before all of a sudden winning four in a row – Colloty scoring in each of those victories. He’s an excellent finisher which is what stands out but he’s also strong on the ball and can play with his back to goal plus he can beat a defender if needed. The dude’s a striker. Pure and simple.

FW – Eddie Wilkinson (Christchurch United)

Genuinely not far off first team contention. Had United been a bit more competitive then he might have even cracked it. Wilkinson was a one-man-army at times for Utd, so strong and quick and direct on the ball that all you needed to do was get him the thing in the attacking third then sit back and watch as he miraculously worked into a shooting position, usually for his rocket of a left foot. Ignoring any casualties of the belated default loss in the Christchurch Derby (which United won 4-1 on the night with Wilkinson scored two and assisting two), he tallied up five goals and five assists for a team that only scored 16 goals in total. That’s an incredible individual influence.

THIRD TEAM

GK – Oscar Mason (Napier City Rovers)

Had to think hard about the third stringer keeper. Max Tommy and Silvio Rodic were also in the mix... but Oscar Mason won the prize. He may have conceded a few but that was through little fault of his own, with many superb saves (including a penalty stop against Christchurch United) highlighting how good the 18yo already is. All three of the goalies from the NZ squad at the U19 Oceania champs played solid Natty League footy this season (Joe Knowles at Miramar & Alby Kelly-Heald at the WeeNix) so if Mason was auditioning for a spot at the U20 World Cup next year then he went about it the right way.

RB – Regont Murati (Auckland United)

Another Auckland United defender, why not. Reggie Murati is one of those players that you can’t help but notice bursting up and down the right wing. He’s strong with good technique, linking up and getting into good areas. Not afraid to mash a bloke in a tackle either. Only one goal and no assists though those numbers would’ve been much higher for a team with more attacking balance... and we don’t need to go over AUFC’s defensive enterprise again – we’ve already done that with a CB, a CDM, and a LB.

CB – Isaac Hughes (Wellington Phoenix Reserves)

Not a simple task to pick the remaining defenders. By rights there ought to be a Melville dude in here but Luke Searle/Raheem Hunter/Aaron Scott were so good as a unit that it was hard to separate them out (also they still conceded a lot of goals, tbf). Liam Wood from Miramar was another in close contention. Kaeden Atkins of Napier City would have made the hypothetical Fourth XI. But I’ve gone with Isaac Hughes for this spot. A lad who shone for a Wee Nix team that regularly competed – the only game they lost by more than one goal was away to Auckland City... and Hughes didn’t play that day. He’s 18 years old. A confident presence at the back. Good on the ball (including a sweet assist against Chch Utd). Reads the game nicely. It was fitting that he made three starts alongside Finn Surman because he’s the next best defensive prospect in the academy after that chap.

CB – Ben Mata (Wellington Olympic)

Let’s get another Olympic defender in here. Mata is first team material but he played through injury for a lot of this term which sometimes left him absent/compromised. But a hobbled Ben Mata is always better than no Ben Mata. He’s a genuine leader at the back (gotta be to take the armband ahead of Justin Gulley or Scott Basalaj, both of whom are older than him). A huge unit who dominates his challenges both in the air and on the ground... but the unkept secret of his game is that he’s also got a velvet touch and plenty of skill. He’s the team’s designated penalty taker, after all (as we saw in the final).

LB – Tamupiwa Dimairo (Wellington Olympic)

And another member of that Greeks backline, sure. Narrowly edging out Jonty Roubos who was the more attacking option on the left scoring three goals with two assists. Dimairo idn’t offer the same output in terms of goals as Roubos but he was a monster in defence, an absolute force who can operate in a number of positions (mostly at CB but he did start one game at LWB which qualifies him for positional eligibility). He did get a red card against Napier City but it was a harsh one – a last man tackle where he might not have actually been the last man. Nothing to take away his third team rewards.

CM – Tor Davenport-Petersen (Wellington Olympic)

The most exciting thing about TDP’s game is how ruthless he is. Here’s a bloke who takes no prisoners. You step into a challenge with TDP and he’ll shrug you off with disdain, merely taking the ball away isn’t enough (although he does that too). For an Olympic team with so many attacking options, having a defensive midfielder to sweep up those central areas was crucial and Davenport-Petersen did it beautifully. Don’t forget the banger he scored in the grand final either.

CM – Matt Todd-Smith (Christchurch United)

The ex-Tasman United midfielder has experience at this level beyond his 24 years which came in pretty handy for a Christchurch United side that didn’t have an abundance of that particular attribute aside from him. Usually given freedom with a more defensive midfielder behind him, MTS was able to glide around the opposition half and pick out clever passes (often to Eddie Wilkinson). It was the sort of work that can go unnoticed if you’re not paying attention... but once you are paying attention you couldn’t possibly ignore it.

CM – Nicolas Zambrano (Auckland United)

Auckland United’s defence has already gotten a couple shout-outs but despite conceding just 13 goals in nine matches they only had a goal difference of +1 (you can do the maths). Brilliant at the back, limited going forward... apart from Nic Zambrano. Four goals and a couple assists – that’s 6/14 goals that he was directly involved in. Set up a last-minute winner against the WeeNix in week one. Scored the first goal in that outstanding 3-2 win over City in the Dominion Road Derby. Scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Cashy Tech. This was the guy who United turned to when they needed something and he usually delivered.

FW – Dane Schnell (Birkenhead United)

Tricky one to select here as Schnell was tied-fifth top scorer in the comp with five g’s but they all came in two games – a double against Miramar and a hatty against Cashmere Tech. Joe Lee of ACFC was the other guy in contention here as someone who was perhaps more consistent but didn’t have the same peaks. I went with the peaks. Having played as a defensive midfield for youth national teams, Schnelly has really thrived as he’s moved up the park to where he was able to lead the line as a striker for Birkenhead (he was a pretty sharp CDM too, in fairness). A selfless hard worker with great technique and a competitive edge. Sounds like quality striker material to me.

FW – Sam Mason-Smith (Miramar Rangers)

He’d have been ranked higher if his team weren’t the wooden spooners. Not that you could blame SMS one bit, as he scored five goals including a couple of outrageous worldies from long range for a team which didn’t have anyone else score more than once. It was a tough rebuilding season for Rangers but they were almost always competitive despite losing seven out of nine. Always helps if you’ve got a striker who can score a goal out of almost literally nothing.

FW – Emiliano Tade (Auckland City)

Last but certainly not least it’s one of the legends of this National League in whatever format it happens to take. Tade’s last-second equaliser against Birko in week three was a major moment in City’s championship run. He scored a pair of bangers to give his team hope in their only defeat (3-2 to Auckland Utd). Scored five goals with three assists overall and the only reason he’s not ranked higher is that he only started four games (plus four more subs appearances) and missed the grand final entirely through injury. Mate but when he played, he played.

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Written by Nick Robinson On Tagged