2024 Men’s National League Season Preview
Brighten up folks because a new National League season stands proudly out ahead of us. The cream of the winter season crop has qualified to take on the rest of the motu. Only six of last year’s MNL qualifiers are back again for the 2024 edition, with two of the newcomers having made it this far for the first time ever: Western Springs and Coastal Spirit. No changes to the format this year, though there could well be some changes next time because the Northern League has already carved out a space for an Auckland FC Reserves team and you’d have to assume that they’ll get the same National League privileges as the Wellington Phoenix Reserves get.
Could that mean taking up one of the Northern League spots à la WeeNix? Could it mean National League expansion? These are thoughts to ponder over the next twelve months but in the meantime there’s a 2024 Men’s National League to absorb and embrace so let us get to know the teams that’ll be partaking. Fixture list here if you’re curious... and make sure to keep track of The Niche Cache’s coverage through all our channels. Highlights on social media, write-ups on the website, chats on our podcast, Teams of the Week in our Substack newsletter. You know the drill.
Auckland City
Winter Season: Champions of the Northern League
Head Coach: Albert Riera
Top Scorer: Liam Gillion (10 goals)... except that he left for Auckland FC midway through the year so best fall back upon Derek Tieku (9 goals) even though he scored some of those for Hamilton Wanderers prior to his mid-year transfer.
Key Player: Damn, take your pick. This might be a Ryan de Vries category since the veteran striker is very much a guiding force for this team. When he’s scoring goals there’s no stopping them – and few men know how to score National League goals better than RDV. But slow him down and Auckland City could become puzzled with fewer alternative creators in this side than they’re used to. Gerard Garriga will also need to be big in midfield in these here post-Howieson days.
Notable Youngster: Stipe Ukich without a shadow of a doubt... as long as he’s still around. Even before he won the Jack Batty Memorial Trophy in the Chatham Cup final aged only 17, Ukich already had some Auckland FC whispers... but the word is he wants to wait until he turns 18 and then sign in Europe. He turns 18 in January so hopefully we get a full National League from him. If not... Nathan Lobo also scored in that CC final. It was an own goal but don’t let that discourage you. Lobz is a wicked left-back who’ll serve up copious assists.
Not at their imperious best through the winter but they still won the Northern League and only a penalty shootout kept them from adding another Chatham Cup to the cabinet. Auckland City could have crumbled after losing Cam Howieson and Liam Gillion during the year but instead they evolved and adapted. Kailan Gould and Derek Tieku were superb mid-season additions (17yo backup keeper Areya Prasad is another fascinating one – he’s replaced Joe Wallis who has signed with West Brom in England). Several times this year they faced tricky situations and they almost always found a goal when they needed one. Players may change but that Auckland City aura remains.
They weren’t the top scorers in the North, that honour goes to Birkenhead by virtue of one goal. The Navy Blues also missed out on having the best defence by virtue of a single goal (Eastern Suburbs this time swooping through). Not that there’s anything wrong with 21 goals allowed in 22 matches. Conor Tracey, Adam Mitchell, Christian Gray, Mike den Heijer... yeah they’re not going to leak too many with that unit. And of course that left them with comfortably the best goal difference in the North (+32). Nobody can argue against the idea that Wellington Olympic have at least drawn level with Auckland City, possibly even surpassed them, over the past two years. But Auckland City still expect to win every trophy they compete for. Already got a Northern League and Oceania Champions League in the bag this year. Perhaps they’ll make it a treble. And before they attempt that, they’ve got a Club World Cup game in the UAE against the Hernan Crespo-coached Al Ain FC (Monday 23 Sep at 4am NZT).
Western Springs
Winter Season: Second in the Northern League
Head Coach: Scott Hales
Top Scorer: Emiliano Tade (14 goals) because there’s no stopping the man.
Key Player: Player turnover tends to be fairly heavy at this level so you’ve gotta respect the stalwarts. Midfielder Oscar Ramsay has been one of those for several years since returning from his USA college ventures. He’s even the club captain.
Notable Youngster: Woulda been Adama Coulibaly until he got snapped up by Auckland FC... so 20yo striker Dawson Straffon can have the nod instead, having scored 11 goals in the Northern League.
The women’s team at Western Springs has been one of the best in the country for ages, including making the past two Kate Sheppard Cup finals. The blokes have had to work to get near that same place but here they now are. Scotty Hales’ side has quietly accumulated a bunch of ex-Auckland City players (Emiliano Tade, Reid Drake, Takuya Iwata, Matt Ellis, Aidan Carey) to go with some impressive youngsters from their vast junior network. Bringing in goalie Oscar Mason from Napier City Rovers was a clever move. The Outfield Oscars (Ramsey and Browne) give them solid creativity. Wan Gatkek is a certified baller. Dawson Straffon has been scoring goals. They’ve got veteran experience and they’ve got emerging talent... an ideal National League balance.
Western Springs won six games in a row to begin the season before Auckland City snapped them 2-1 thanks to an 86th minute winner from Ryan De Vries (typical City areas). There were a couple of stumbles after that but the Swans always steadied the ship and an eight-game unbeaten streak to end the campaign was enough to scoop them up to second place. Two wins, two draws, and two losses against their fellow MNL qualifiers from the North. Western Springs haven’t made it this far since the National League restructure but most of their players have been here before, many of them with immense success, and the same is true of their coach.
Eastern Suburbs
Winter Season: Third in the Northern League
Head Coach: Kane Wintersgill
Top Scorer: Jake Mechell (19 goals) who also took out the Northern League Golden Boot.
Key Player: Obviously Nikko Boxall has to be up there if he’s available. A senior-capped international defender is one hell of a foundation for any team. Mechell’s arguably even more essential for them though, given that he’s scored such a big bulk of their goals. If he doesn’t fire then trouble could ensue.
Notable Youngster: Last year it would’ve been Aaryan Raj but it’d be cheating to name him again. Quite a few candidates here but Dejuan Naidoo getting an Auckland FC trial caught the attention for sure. He’s a 17yo attacker who’s managed to turn up with some important contributions for the Lilywhites already.
The Lilywhites didn’t manage to repeat their undefeated status from the 2023 Northern League (when they finished second behind the also-undefeated Auckland City), but they did pretty well under the circumstances. Having recruited a strong team of well-known players from around the country, including a few ex-pros, they became prime targets for Auckland FC. Luis Toomey, Francis de Vries, Finn McKenlay, and Joseph Knowles have all been signed by the new A-League expansion side while Nikko Boxall, Ralph Rutherford, and Dejuan Naidoo spent time trialling with the Black Knights. Despite those disruptions, Suburbs almost had a late crack at the title... but only taking one point from their last three games quickly dashed that dream.
Nevertheless, we’re talking about the best defence in the Northern League having conceded just 20 times in 22 matches. Scoring goals proved more difficult, at least in comparison to the rest of the top four, but they did have the Golden Boot in Jake Mechell. He bagged 19 of the team’s 38 goals... exactly half. The last of them was an overhead kick. Mechell’s had a bit of MNL experience from past seasons and based on recent months the 25yo could be poised for a national breakthrough. Aside from him there’s an impressive array of rising talent such as silky defender Aaryan Raj, set piece specialist Joshua Galletly, rangy fullback Jackson Jarvie and even younger lads like Dejuan Naidoo and Riley Dalziell. Looks like 20yo NZ/Ukraine goalie Vadym Patkevych has popped over to replace Knowles. They’ll do fine.
Birkenhead United
Winter Season: Fourth in the Northern League
Head Coach: Paul Hobson
Top Scorer: Monty Patterson (14 goals), back in the Nats with a new club after leading Manurewa to this stage a year ago.
Key Player: Corban Piper spent last year over in Ireland playing with Wexford in their second tier, but came back to terrorise midfields around Aotearoa. An absolute unit who puts in a shift both with and without the ball. Only issue is that he was then summoned for a trial at the Wellington Phoenix and has earned himself a scholarship deal so if he plays Natty League it won’t be for Birko. In which case... let’s chuck rugged defender Dino Botica in there. That dude’s excellent.
Notable Youngster: Lots to choose from here but Curtis Hughes can have it. He’s a 20yo winger with plenty of speed who spent some time trialling with Kilmarnock earlier in the year. Having seen a few fellas of a similar age and profile end up at Auckland FC he might have a point to prove.
Birko didn’t make it to the Nats last year and they weren’t going to allow that failure to be repeated. Paul Hobson still has a good chunk of the side that played summer footy in 2022 and they’ve deliberately added top quality on top of that. Monty Patterson, Sam Philip, Leon van den Hoven, Jaylen Rodwell, Cameron Lindsay, Haris Zeb... these are renowned domestic names from all around the place who’ve bought into the cause alongside recurring names like Silvio Rodic, Luke Jorgensen, Dino Botica, Everton O’Leary, and Hughes. The squad runs deep. Only drama for Hobbo is trying to narrow it down into a starting eleven each week.
The scales are definitely tipped more towards the attacking side. Birko scored more goals than anyone else in the Northern League (53) but they also conceded the most of the four MNL qualifiers (31). Plus they ended the season with only one win from their final five fixtures... and that was despite a possible crack at the title being almost within reach. They also made the semis of the Chatham Cup where they took Auckland City to extra-time before losing 4-2. A clear top four emerged in the North so these qualifying spots sealed with room to spare. There’s an inkling here that Birko didn’t fully capitalise on their potential during the winter stuff and therefore could have the capability to finish very high on that MNL ladder.
Wellington Olympic
Winter Season: Champions of the Central League... for the fourth year in a row.
Head Coach: Paul Ifill & Ekow Quainoo
Top Scorer: Hamish Watson (14 goals) which should come as no surprise.
Key Player: Let’s go with a bit of Ben Mata here (honorary mentions to Scott Basalaj and Justin Gulley) because for such a free-scoring team they also have a fantastic defensive base that enables their attacking profundity. Penalty-specialist Mata is a huge part of that. Power and finesse and leadership.
Notable Youngster: Isa Prins takes this honour after flexing his abilities with a wonderful Chatham Cup final stint off the bench, showing pace and technique and some clever decision-making... including setting up his team’s goal. Also look for a few ex-WeeNix dudes like Adam Supyk and Kaelin Nguyen.
The defending champs of the National League are also now Chatham Cup champs for the first time in 15 years after beating Auckland City on penalties. They once again cruised through the Central League, finishing 11 points clear of second place and only losing once in 18 games. That loss was to Western Suburbs in week two so it’s been a long time since they’ve been stopped. Their squad is stacked. Paul Ifill and Ekow Quainoo have come in and smoothly sustained the success they inherited, with a stable core of experienced veterans (at least five dudes in this team have played 100+ games for the club) aiding that continuity. There have been a few tweaks to the system but they’re still a side that wants to attack at pace, scoring bundles and bundles – an outrageous 79 goals in 18 CL matches.
Regulars like Watson, Sinclair, Mata, Gulley, Basalaj, Dimairo, and Hoy remain. Gianni Bouzoukis rejoined the side a month or two back after spending time in Australia. Eddie Wilkinson followed Ifill from Christchurch United (effectively replacing Kailan Gould’s role from last year). There was no reason to doubt them anyway but the Chatham Cup final proves that they’re rolling up to the Nats expecting to win the whole thing again. Their squad is just as good. They’ve been even more successful during the winter campaign. The Greeks are marching.
Western Suburbs
Winter Season: Second in the Central League, finishing ahead of Napier City Rovers thanks to having scored one additional goal – they were tied on points and goal difference.
Head Coach: Alan Koch
Top Scorer: Lucas Meek (15 goals), big mahi from the 25yo American import.
Key Player: Again, it’s Lucas Meek. Those goals count for a lot. Meek was a standout college player who was drafted to the MLS by Inter Miami. Never played at that level but he did get a bunch of games for their reserves. He scored four goals against Island Bay in his Aotearoa footy debut and has remained well above a goal per game ever since.
Notable Youngster: Bruce Izumi was Wests’ only selection in the Aotearoa squad for the Oceania U19 Men’s Championships so that’ll do it. He’s a very tidy midfielder, technically sharp with a fine passing sense. Alifeleti Peini (defender) is another name to jot down.
This will be a very different Western Suburbs to the last time they made the National League (two years ago), which in turn was a very different Western Suburbs to when they made the Chatham Cup final a few years before that. The Declan Edge Era into the Ben Sippola Era and now the Alan Koch Era. With South Africa/Canadian Koch in charge of the Ole Academy, he’s brought in more of a North American influence – forward Lukas Meek, goalie Quillan Roberts, forward Connor Wilson, defender Charles Ostrem (though the latter went back to America mid-year). Those guys are a step above the usual imports who stop by this league. They’ll be influential not only with how this team performs but also as mentors for the next wave of Ole lads. The academy’s not filling out national age grade sides like they once did but there’s hope for a future resurgence and we should see a plethora of teenagers getting game-time whenever Subs play.
In the second week of the season, Western Suburbs played Wellington Olympic away at Wakefield Park and beat them 5-3. Lucas Meek scored a hat-trick. Those ninety minutes are responsible for 31% of the Central League goals that Olympic conceded across the whole campaign and it was the only defeat that team has suffered so far in 2024. The Greeks did win 1-0 in the rematch back in June and both teams have changed a bit since then... but that match alone should give Wests plenty of belief heading into the summer season. They’re capable of scoring in bundles, having hit 4+ goals in 7/18 games, though they also only kept three clean sheets. Not sure what to expect but it should be entertaining.
Napier City Rovers
Winter Season: Third in the Central League
Head Coach: Bill Robertson
Top Scorer: Oscar Faulds (21 goals) cruised to the Central League Golden Boot despite missing the last few games of the season, first for a trial with the Wellington Phoenix and then hitting the circuit back in Scandinavia (he’s a dual-eligible NZ/Swede)... although a move to a Danish second tier club collapsed on deadline day so not sure what he’s up to next. Probably won’t be National League, sadly, and it’s a long drop to Sam Lack (5 goals) as NCR’s next top scorer.
Key Player: It would be Oscar Faulds but doubtful he’ll be there. In which case, goalkeeper Will Tønning probably deserves the nod after a wonderful winter campaign. NCR only kept three clean sheets in the Central League and two were against last-placed Stop Out but they also never conceded more than three times in a game (and that only happened twice). A good goalie can be the difference between a 2-1 win and a 2-2 draw or a 3-2 loss... and by all accounts Rovers have a very good goalie (though we’ll let the grand stage of the New Zealand National League be the ruling judge of that).
Notable Youngster: Gotta be that lad Sam Lack, who has caught the eye in previous campaigns but really seems to have reached to a new level this year. Look for incisive passing and a few goals from his direction.
The year is 2024 and Napier City Rovers continue to hang around amongst the best. Every year you have to wonder if a club outside the main three cities can sustain that and every year NCR find a couple of wonderful imports to add to their solid local crew and bingo. They’re the only men’s club from outside the Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch triopoly this year. Rovers suffered a mere four defeats in the Central League and two of those were against Wellington Olympic, plus they were unlucky to lose 2-1 to Birkenhead in the Chatham Cup quarters.
Oscar Faulds was the main man and unless something crazy happens he won’t be available, leaving a big hole in their formation. Fortunately he was far from the only contributor. Goalkeeper William Tønning proved an astute addition with the Danish gloveman even mustering a concurrent trial at the Wellington Phoenix alongside his mate Faulds. Stephen Hoyle has moved back to the Hawke’s Bay so he’s joined brother Jim – apparently they never played together in the UK but they’re playing together in Napier, how good. Creative midfielder Sam Lack has impressed to the extent that he got some Auckland FC buzz. Old favourites like Fergus Neil, Cameron Emerson, and Jonny McNamara remain doing their things. They’ll be up against it but they’ll also be up for the challenge.
Wellington Phoenix Reserves
Winter Season: Fifth in Central League
Head Coach: Chris Greenacre
Top Scorer: Lots of rotation in the squad this year due to ALM preseason and both U16 and U19 Oceania Championships so the goals were shared around. Top spot was a tie between Daniel Makowem and Luke Supyk (with 5 goals each).
Key Player: See now that depends on who’s playing, which in turn depends on what the first team are up to. But it seems reasonable to expect to see the A-League side’s four scholarship players more often than not. Luke Brooke-Smith, Corban Piper, Dublin Boon, and Gabe Sloane-Rodrigues. Not gonna pick one, they all carry the same amount of intrigue. Take note that Piper’s conversion from all-effort midfielder to ball-playing centre-back will probably utilise a lot of National League reps.
Notable Youngster: Mate, come on now. This is an U20s reserve team for an A-League club so the entire squad are notable youngsters. If you want a couple bolters though, central defence feels like a position of big opportunity with Finn Surman having left and Isaac Hughes and Lukas Kelly-Heald moving up to the first team. So guys like Corban Piper, Dylan Gardiner, Seth Karunaratne, and Jayden Smith (probably a couple others too) are all competing to fill the void.
Last season the WeeNix finished inside the top four so they would have qualified for the Nats regardless. This season they were a distant fifth, 11 points behind Miramar Rangers, but since they have an automatic place in the competition that was tough biscuits for Rangers. The Phoenix Academy has been glowing these past few years with players flowing into the first team and then onwards for significant transfer fees... but that did put a stretch on the reserves who this year had to integrate a new generation of players. Hence they ended up losing more games than they won and had a negative goal difference. They also had to play a lot of midweek games to rearrange things around national youth teams that they were heavily involved in, and to enable them to wrap things up a couple weeks early to clear everyone for A-League preseason.
They’re still producing class players but it can take a wee while to settle into this level so based on winter form it could take some time for the WeeNix to find their feet in the Nats – and in such a short season you simply don’t have that time. Especially defensively. But we’ll still be seeing some of the best young players in the country regardless of results. In particular we should get glimpses of the ALM scholarship dudes. Maybe the likes of Luke Supyk and Fin Conchie could pop up too. Theirs will be week to week situation depending on when and where the A-League side are playing.
Beyond that, we saw Fergus Gillion, Tze Xuan Loke, Lachlan Candy, Nathan Walker, and Dylan Gardiner all get into the Aussie Cup matchday squad without senior deals. Ryan Watson, Daniel Makowem, Lewis Partridge, Seth Karunaratne, and Eamonn McCarron were also in the latest NZ U19s squad. Beyond them dudes like Jayden Smith, Anaru Cassidy, and Nick Murphy are all worth a scout’s geeze. There are guys like Ben Old and Alex Paulsen who it was clear even at this level that they were going to go far. But there are also guys like Finn Surman, Fin Conchie, and Matt Sheridan who took a little longer to emerge as the talents that they’ve become. Just gotta pay attention and see what happens when it comes to the WeeNix.
Cashmere Technical
Winter Season: Champions of the Southern League
Head Coach: Dan Schwarz
Top Scorer: If you have to ask then you haven’t been paying attention because Garbhan Coughlan missed a huge chunk of the season flying back to Ireland for a spell and yet still cruised to the Southern League Golden Boot with a mind-boggling 26 goals.
Key Player: Other than Coughlan, it’s hard not to lean back upon the National League veterans such as Matt Tod-Smith, Lyle Matthysen, Yuya Taguchi, and of course the big man Tom Schwarz... who is not only a menace of a defender (and the twin brother of the coach) but he usually chips in with a goal or two during these ones as well.
Notable Youngster: There may not be anyone too fresh in the starting line-up given all their options, though Alex Ballard would be the guy if there is one. He’s a 19yo midfielder who has already had a couple of MNL stints so he’s practically a veteran himself these days.
Reclaiming their title after watching Christchurch United win the last couple Southern Leagues will have tasted sweet... Cashmere Technical did it in style by scoring an absolutely disgusting 90 goals in 18 matches. Garbhan Coughlan got 26 of them despite missing a couple months. Gabriel Gallaway and Jack Hallahan each scored 10 times, Gallaway being a local while Hallahan adds to the always-strong English contingent. Regular favourites Lyle Matthysen and Yuya Taguchi grabbed nine goals apiece. So many goals. They also barely allowed any, only 19 in 18 matches, to end with a heroic +71 goal difference. The only blip was a 3-1 Chatham Cup defeat to Coastal Spirit in June (whom they also drew 4-4 and lost 2-0 to during league play and were beaten 4-0 by in the English Cup final).
At the start of the year, Tech made the brilliant addition of midfielder Matt Tod-Smith from Christchurch United (meaning he’s won three Southern Leagues in a row). Veterans like Tom Schwarz (defence) and Danny Knight (goalkeeper) remain, while homegrown talents like Alex Ballard, Declan Tyndall, and Zander Edwards have continued to grow. If there’s a critique, it’s that they beat up on the weaker South Island teams by overwhelming them with their pace of play and directness... but may soon find that style doesn’t work against the top teams in the nation. The argument for the prosecution will mention how they only won once from six matches against Coastal Spirit and Christchurch United (though that’s contextual). The argument for the defence will point out how they’ve always been able to scale up their performances to adapt to the Nats and still have the same dependable spine as always.
Coastal Spirit
Winter Season: Second in the Southern League
Head Coach: Robbie Stanton
Top Scorer: Big ups to Alejandro Steinwascher (19 goals), a 24yo American recruit who scored four times on debut for Spirit and never let up from there
Key Player: Don’t really need to tell you that it’s Mr Steinwascher. He had a decent college career in his homeland but his senior footy was rather unspectacular as he spent three years in what is effectively the third and fourth tiers of America without doing much to catch any higher attention. That’s a level that quite a few kiwi players have gone through without necessarily needing to be National League standouts. But then Steinwascher popped up at Coastal and the goals haven’t ceased since. Goes to show how a bad fit can overwhelm good talent, and that good talent doesn’t have to develop on a predetermined schedule.
Notable Youngster: No doubt there’ll be a few who put their hands up over the next couple months but Apisai Rabuka, a teenaged Fijian winger, is one who stands out. His older brother Mika Rabuka was pretty handy for Christchurch United in the 2022 MNL and his brother seems like a carbon copy. Diminutive but quick and skilled. Api Rabuka scored five times during the league season.
Heck of a season from Coastal Spirit, heck of a season. Not only did they hold off Christchurch United to claim second place and National League qualification but they also made it to the semi-finals of the Chatham Cup. Their best season in the Southern League system and their best ever cup run all at once. Spectacular stuff. There were a few wobbles at the very end, losing that cup semi-final 5-1 at home against eventual winners Wellington Olympic and only just holding off a late charge from Christchurch United for second in the league. Coastal needed to match or better United’s result in the final round and that was at risk when they found themselves level with Universities of Canterbury late on. But an 83rd minute own goal gave them the victory they needed (while Chch Utd only drew with champs Cashmere Tech anyway). Plus they won the English Cup for the first time ever, beating Cashmere Tech 4-0 in the final. Would say mission accomplished... except there’s still a National League to contend for.
This makes Coastal Spirit only the fourth Southern League club to ever qualify for the current format of National League. Cashmere Technical have made it all four times while Christchurch United have been there twice and Selwyn United had a crack back in the South Central Series year. Selwyn struggled that season, with one draw and four defeats in a comp that didn’t include the battle-tested Auckland teams. The Southern League is the one with the biggest range in quality so Coastal will have to be careful not to get caught off guard. But they’re here on merit. No need to sweat... after all, they’re undefeated against Cashmere Technical across four games this season (three wins and a draw).
In Ellis Hare-Reid they have a 25yo kiwi goalkeeper with professional experience in Scotland. Former Cashmere Tech defensive maestro Andrew Storer seems to have moved back across town, while Joe Hoole and Mason Stearn have played MNL with Christchurch United (sidenote, Coastal will be the main contenders if an arm’s race develops for any CUFC loanees after they failed to qualify, especially U20s players). Steinwascher is the main man but there’s a very solid and cohesive team around him – proven by the fact that they also conceded less than a goal per game, one of only a couple of teams nationwide to do so (Wellington Olympic, Auckland City, and Eastern Suburbs being the others).
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