2025 Men’s National League – Week 9
Wellington Olympic vs Christchurch United
The Women’s National League wrapped up its regular season this past weekend but the blokes have an extra team and also a bye round so they’ve got another fortnight to go. That means that there wasn’t quite the same desperate jostling for spots in the top two... although there will be soon because this whole round was bonkers. Cat and pigeon have been introduced. Everything we thought we knew is now being questioned. Incredibly, there are four different clubs with full control of their own fates.
With Wellington Olympic having lost to Auckland FC last week, this was always going to be more of a scrap than it might have seemed a couple rounds ago when Western Springs and Wellington Olympic appeared to be cruising towards the decider. We’ll get to Springs later. First it was the Greeks trying to rebound from that subpar effort last match, an endeavour (at Endeavour Park) for which they made two changes and a few positional shuffles. Jonty Roubos got his first start of the term at right wing-back. Sam Mason-Smith also returned playing behind Gianni Bouzoukis in attack. Isa Prins moved to left wing-back. Adam Supyk into the back three. First game where Alex Solomon hasn’t been in the eleven. In contrast, Christchurch United were entirely unchanged after Shogo Osawa inspired a return to form in beating Western Suburbs 3-1 last time out.
You know how Bouzoukis scored in the third minute last week? Yeah so this week he was even sharper, nudging home at the near post after Isa Prins sizzled past Riley Grover near halfway then carried forward and crossed low into the path of GB. Bouzoukis was nursing a bit of a goal drought earlier in the campaign but he’s now scored in three straight matches. If he sticks around then at some stage next year he’ll become Olympic’s record scorer. And, yes, of course Isa Prins was the instigator for his fourth assist of the term.
This was a fun game. Wellington Olympic were fired up in a way that they never were last week, looking much more like themselves. Moving the ball quickly. Trying to get in behind the backline. Also defending in good numbers. But Christchurch United settled well after the concession and were seeking to put pressure on the Olympic back three before they could launch, as Ollie van Rijssel did when he pickpocketed Justin Gulley in the area only for Scott Basalaj to react quickly and make the save. Isa Prins was looking dangerous for Olympic and so was Joel Steven in the equivalent position (though neither was sticking to those positions, both free to roam). This against the team that Stevens won a championship with in 2023.
The Rams were mostly doing great work at busting up such transitional attacks but Olympic are the type of team that will simply keep trying until it works. Prins was sent through with just the keeper to beat only to step on the ball and tumble over. Whoops. Jack-Henry Sinclair also ballooned one over from a Prins cut-back, open in the box but just leaned back on it too much. Couple huge chances to double the lead gone astray as the 1-0 scoreline made it to half-time... unlike Jonty Roubos who unfortunately had to go off injured during the first stanza, replaced by Will Vincent.
As quickly as Olympic had scored in the first half, that’s how quickly Christchurch United did the same thing right back them to begin the second. Nothing fancy, just a magnificent direct free kick from Joel Stevens. We’ve seen that before...
That prompted Isa Prins to get back to work, taking on defenders, however it was starting to look a bit wobbly for the Greeks who went close to going behind when another Stevens free kick was deflected over by the wall and they barely managed to scramble away the corner kick. It was actually Prins who hacked it clear, which is relevant because a couple mins later he found a pocket of space in the box and whacked a shot off the post. The ball ricocheted to Will Vincent who couldn’t get set in time to shoot but laid it off to Bouzoukis who could. Boom, second goal for Gianni Bouzoukis. Wellington Olympic were back ahead.
And they remained ahead for all of ten minutes until Basalaj couldn’t hold a Joel Stevens low strike and Shogo Osawa, who’d had a very quiet game up until then, leapt into action to convert the rebound. One of those awkward ones that bounced right in front of Bas as he dove and perhaps the turf applied a bit of spin as well. Great awareness from Osawa though – his fourth goal of the term. This game was up for grabs with twenty to go.
You had to be strapped into your seat for this descent as both teams sacrificed control for creative risk. Tor Davenport-Petersen absolutely munted one first time that only just fizzed over. Isa Prins drew a save outta Steven van Dijk at close range after working a beautiful one-two with Jonny Reynolds. Ben Mata headed over from a corner kick. Those were all Welly Olympic chances... but the winning goal happened in the other half when Osawa disrupted a pass from TDP and Stevens quickly assessed the situation by steadying the defence and slipping Jackson Cole in behind. Goal.
There was time for Mata, sent up front as an auxiliary striker, to win a similar header to his last one, keeping it down this time while Bouzoukis claimed he was shoved over in amongst. Yet the bottom line is that they lost, blowing 1-0 and 2-1 leads along the way. The Greeks had chances to double their lead at 1-0 while their second and third concessions both stemmed from their own (uncharacteristic) mistakes. Second week in a row that a very late goal has sent Olympic to defeat... that sure ain’t the tonic.
And yet this doesn’t remove their grand final hopes from their own control because they play Miramar Rangers in the final round. It makes everything a whole lot funkier in there though – including bringing Auckland City and Christchurch United back into contention. Isa Prins was outstanding and Gianni Bouzoukis looks to have regained all his confidence. Those lads are going to need to bring the goods against Auckland United (A) and Miramar Rangers (H) if Wellington Olympic are going to lift another trophy this year. At least they played quite well here for the most part, unlike last week.
Just like that, Christchurch United are back in the hunt after these two wins in a row moved them up within one point of Olympic. Jackson Cole is having a breakthrough season with his speed and energy up front. Noah Karunaratne’s been very tidy, especially his crazy good ball retention, operating deeper in midfield of late. Joel Stevens, what else is there to say? Scored one and set up the other two in his most influential outing of the campaign. But the turnaround seems to rest on the shoulders of Shogo Osawa who spent the middle chunk of this National League coming off the bench until his return to the eleven instigated this revival. The Rams have won four and lost one when Osawa starts. They have lost two and drawn two when he doesn’t. The tough thing for the Rams is that they do have a bye in week eleven so even if they beat Auckland FC next week it probably won’t be enough... but they’re in contention and that’s more than seemed possible as recently as two weeks ago.
Wellington Olympic 2-3 Christchurch United
Goals (Assists)
2’ | 1-0 | WO | Bouzoukis (Prins)
48’ | 1-1 | CU | Stevens
59’ | 2-1 | WO | Bouzoukis (Vincent)
69’ | 2-2 | CU | Osawa (Stevens)
88’ | 2-3 | CU | Cole (Stevens)
Auckland City vs Wellington Phoenix
Auckland City weren’t to know what was going down in the Wellington Olympic game but they did know it didn’t matter unless they made their own bed with three points at home against the Wellington Phoenix, having copped a chunky defeat away to Miramar a week earlier. Two changes for Paul Posa and both were in the wing-back positions with Riley Dalziell and Matt Ellis back to add some crossing (RD) and some raw speed (ME) – although Mike den Heijer spent most of the game in midfield so it was kinda a hybrid formation. Anyway, that meant another go with the Ryan de Vries + Myer Bevan striker combo. Perhaps this would be the game that Bevan finally scored?
For the WeeNix, there was another start for Lewis Partridge who was announced during the week as the second signing for South Island United. He’ll be returning to his home town of Christchurch for his first post-Nix steps – SIU players are expected to return to their clubs in March when the Pro League ends but Partridge turns 21 in January so he’s presumably aged out. LP has been great for the Reserves, just unlucky that he’s the same age as Matt Sheridan and Xuan Loke blocking his path to the A-League team. Alby Kelly-Heald, Luke Flowerdew, Hayden Thomas, Lachlan Candy, and Ryan Watson all returned to the eleven for this match replacing all those first teamers who dropped down during the international week. And with Luke Supyk required on the A-League bench, that meant a start for Jack Perniskie – who recently scored at the U17 World Cup. Big raps on that lad.
That hybrid formation for ACFC (which may have simply been an unbalanced 4-3-3 with Matt Ellis at left-back) meant that Dalziell didn’t push as often as he usually does... which in turn left room for David Yoo to drift wide and get onto the ball in space and that, if you’re a Phoenix defender, was not what you wanted to see. Giancarlo Italiano would have been chuffed to see AKH sweeping confidently outside his area a few times... but less chuffed to see him cleared by an Ellis corner for Nikko Boxall to head in the opener after ten minutes. Boxall has the kind of hops that basketballers cherish... no stopping him from there.
In the midst of that goal, Gerard Garriga picked up an injury and was replaced by Orlando Thorpe. Bit of a monkey paw arrangement, it seems: a goal but also an injury to a key player. Lachlan Candy whipped a free kick on target that Garrow pushed over but for the most part the WeeNix got stuck going sideways at the back against a very solid front four block by ACFC. The home side were happy with their lead and began getting extra intricate with their short passing around the penalty area. Couple nice AKH saves against Yoo. Also a Thorpe cracker that pinged off the post for a goal kick. Pretty typical from both sides.
As the game reached its second half, with the WeeNix lobbing the ball into the area only for Boxall and Gray to jump highest time after time, the question was whether they’d find something before Auckland City scored the second goal that’d otherwise likely kill it off. They could not. Instead Mario Ilich banged one in from a second phase opportunity (after more David Yoo direct dribbling), placing it bottom corner with the only touch he needed. All class.
Kelly-Heald made another sharp stop against RDV running through on the angle, however Auckland City didn’t seem particularly worried about further improving their goal difference until the last ten minutes or so... and even then there was nothing that took. RDV went closest when he had a curler cleared off the line by Jayden Smith. Not to worry because a 2-0 victory gets them back up within a point of the top two and sets up a blockbuster next weekend when they face Western Springs.
This was vintage City with full control of the game and building their chances from out of that solid platform. Nikko Boxall dominated everything he touched. David Yoo and Matt Ellis gave them some incisive dribbling from those wide areas. Ryan de Vries was pretty active too. The win against Wellington Olympic was probably their best display of this MNL but this was their most complete outing - you just can’t ever count these guys out. The Welly Nix will be glad that Alby Kelly-Heald seems to be getting his sharpness back. Lachlan Candy and Luke Flowerdew were their best outlets for creativity but with their more renowned attacking youngsters either injured or with the first team they didn’t get enough help. So it goes... the WeeNix have only scored twice in their last five matches. Defensively they’re pretty sound but they’re lacking game-breakers in these National League efforts.
Auckland City 2-0 Wellington Phoenix Reserves
11’ | 1-0 | AC | Boxall (Ellis)
60’ | 2-0 | AC | Ilich
Coastal Spirit vs Western Springs
Say would you look at this, last versus first. Bit of a mismatch at Linfield Park or so it would seem. Coastal had Kaleb de Groot-Green back in action after his suspension and Nick Petherick got a start in one of the wing-back spots. No Danny Boys for the first time, the 40yo sitting this one out. Western Springs were refreshed from the bye following four wins in a row... sometimes that can spoil momentum though, you never know. Oscar Browne replaced Pat Tobin in the back three for the only change from their last match. Tobin’s absence means that the Swans now only have a mere seven players who’ve started every game.
The new back three shape that Coastal have used these last few weeks matched nicely against Western Springs’ own back three and Spirit were bouncing the ball around during the first five mins like we haven’t really seen all season. Granted, once Springs were able to get some attacking possession the hints of brittleness did begin to show. But they compensated for that with good disciplined positioning, their wing-backs working hard in both directions, midfielders getting stuck in... those Western Springs forwards always seemed to be crowded out when the ball came their way.
With both sets of defenders also bossing the aerial duels that meant chances were limited... although Yusuf van Dam did wriggle past a couple challenges on the perimeter and curl slightly wide. Max Chretien also flicked a low corner on target to give Emmett Connolly something to do. Against the odds, these were Coastal chances (albeit Reid Drake and Caspar McGavin did have a couple headers). Gotta admit there were some signs of frustration from the Swans with the match stuck at 0-0 at the midway point.
Straight away from the resumption, Jordan Hackett found some space out wide like he never saw all first half for Springs... drilling a low cross for Ry McLeod who shot into the post and the ball diverted into the arms of an unsuspecting (and very fortunate) Adam Braman on the line. That was a ramp-up from WSAFC... yet still they continued to stumble trying to break down a dogged Coastal side that had all eleven dudes putting in a shift, even the strikers were tracking back when necessary.
Unless you love midfield turnovers, there wasn’t a lot else happening... until midway through the half when Coastal Spirit cranked up the temperature. YVD struck a volley from a nod down by Hoole and he struck it beautifully - only critique is that it was at that half-height which gives the goalie a chance, hence Connolly made an outrageous one-handed diving save. No save was required when the ball fell to Joe Hoole after a good couple crosses into the mixer because he leant back on it and lifted it over from ten yards. Derek Tieku wasn’t a million miles away with a half-volley from range. This was last vs first and it was last who were going closest. Daniel Normann’s frustrations boiled over when he gave Joe Hoole a shove and got booked for it... and his mood won’t have been any better when, with fifteen to go, Liam Cotter ran onto a ball in behind and drew three defenders who shut down his shooting angle so he merely slid the ball across to an open Derek Tieku to score instead. There it was. It had been brewing.
There was still another quarter of an hour left. Niko Steinmetz pumped a header over the bar off a Drake free kick for Springs’ first clear chance in ages but they were running out of time. As the ref’s assistant held up some kind of uncanny numeral for stoppages, Toshi Makimoto got onto a flick into the box for a great chance but he scooped right under it. Then one of the funniest moments of the season occurred deep into injury time when Adam Braman ran out onto a ball in behind but his clearance didn’t find touch so he had to rugby tackle Normann to avoid leaving an open goal to shoot at... easy peasy yellow card. It did the trick though. Coastal survived the backwards-six minutes of added time (or was it upside-down nine?), hanging on for an astonishing 1-0 win.
Coastal are actually only goal difference from getting out of last place now. They have a bye next week before facing Auckland City away so yeah not too likely to happen. But regardless they can dine upon this huge turn-up against the top ranked team coming into the round. Hard to pick standouts in such a committed team performance but there’s no doubt that this is a better Spirit side when Kaleb de Groot-Green is involved... Noa Prestel as well. Joe Hoole and Mason Stearn always make for a full capacity midfield duo and while Coastal have only scored five goals, Liam Cotter has scored or assisted three of those. Very underrated National League attacker, that bloke. Weirdly, Adam Braman is both the MNL goalie who has conceded the most goals (20) and also the MNL goalie with the most clean sheets (3).
Western Springs have played in a lot of close games and there’s always the possibility of a result like this when the margins are that fine, it only takes an instance or two of bad luck. One of the best things about this team is how hard it is to pick out their star players because of what a cohesive team they are, everyone pulling their weight... but that also meant they couldn’t lean on, say, someone like Isa Prins or David Yoo or Martin Bueno or Joel Stevens or Seb Barton-Ginger (or Liam Cotter!) to get them out of trouble with a piece of solo magic. Oh well, they’ll just have to beat Auckland City next week.
Coastal Spirit 1-0 Western Springs
76’ | 1-0 | CS | Tieku (Cotter)
Western Suburbs vs Auckland United
There were a bunch of games with grand final ramifications this week but this was not one of them. Nevertheless, Endeavour Park is always lovely on a sunny afternoon (although the playground looked quite empty) and there was plenty of intrigue about a pair of teams that had already signalled that they were keen to rotate a few youngsters into the side over the remaining couple games. Western Suburbs didn’t really do that, picking a familiar eleven with Quillan Roberts, Jonathan Sanchez, and Cam Mackenzie all available again. But Auckland United threw a funky one in there with 16yo phenom Matias Nunez given a starting debut in the National League. This kid made an appearance off the bench in the Chatham Cup final when he was still only 15 and has been a standout in NZ age grade sides this year. Hugely exciting. Elsewhere there were recalls for Boyd Curry, Will Mendoza, and Bruce Izumi. And teenaged fullback Oliver Campbell held his spot, third MNL appearance for the Hamilton native.
Another aspect of this fixture: Western Suburbs had taken two wins and a draw from their three previous home games (while losing all four on the road) whereas Auckland United had a draw and two losses from their three away trips (with two wins, a draw, and a loss at home). True to that statistical correlation, Wests had the ball in the net within ten minutes after Robinson’s driving run set up a Seb Barton-Ginger tap-in... except SGB had strayed offside so it didn’t count.
This was a good game with both teams moving the ball quickly. Matt Conroy made a few searching forays with the ball at his feet. Auckland were getting to their shots more effectively, as well as a number of corners, but nothing thus far to challenge Roberts whereas Suburbs were doing more with less – like when Dakota Brady headed one off the post after half an hour. Ten mins later, Nunez supplied AU’s most promising moment of the half when he held off Robinson on his way infield and then absolutely lashed a shot on target from which QR made a great stop. Roberts was alert again to deny Daniel Olaoye shortly after. Enjoyable stuff... but it was getting to where we needed a goal to keep it funky.
Instead we got more of the same. Nunez was cutting onto his left from the right wing, getting in shots and crosses. Wests managed to fight through a few tackles to get square balls across goal that weren’t converted. But still no goals so the referee intervened and awarded a rather soft penalty to Wests. The Auckland United lads were incensed about the lack of contact from Curry on Nguyen off the ball... but it turned out the decision was for a handball against Campbell. Even that didn’t do the trick though, because Nguyen blasted the spot kick into the bar. Only 8/14 penalties have been scored in the Men’s National League this year (the ladies are much more accurate at 9/10).
Somehow Nunez then managed to hit both the post and the crossbar from the same shot without the ball crossing the line. The wee man remained heavily active as United continued their search for a goal. The first thing to look for in a young player is how often they get involved during a game and Nunez certainly ticks that box. We’re gonna need to see him stay in this line-up, please Mr Figueira. This kid is good. But while Auckland Utd had more possession and territory, this game definitely was there to be won by either side. Step up Jonathan Robinson, heroic dribbler and shirt-shedder...
There ya go. Those tackles that AU were missing at the back finally caught up to them. On the one hand, United will feel like they had the better of that game only to end up losing (away, again) but on the other hand, Wests had the higher-percentage chances including the missed penalty on their way to victory (at home, again). Could have gone either way. Had to go one way so it went this way. Quillan Roberts and Jonathan Robinson showed their worth upon returning to the side – two top quality imports there. This was probably about as good as the Finn Diamond/Alefeleti Peini centre-back combination has been this season too. Disappointing result for AUFC but Will Mendoza had a busy game in midfield while Ross Haviland is so clearly their player of the year... and at least they were able to unveil Matias Nunez to the competition. In the long run that should turn out to be more significant than the points that they missed out on.
Western Suburbs 1-0 Auckland United
90’ | WS | 1-0 | Robinson (Green)
Birkenhead United vs Miramar Rangers
The last game of the round suddenly became the most important after the way that other results went down. Miramar Rangers were already breathing down the necks of the two leaders so after both Wellington Olympic and Western Springs fell to defeats (albeit the Springs game didn’t finish until around half-time of this one), Miramar Rangers were thrust into a position where they could go top with a victory, bounding over both of them. Rangers kept an unchanged outfield from the 3-0 win against Auckland City but did make a change between the sticks with Jack De Groot returning to action. JDG started the first four games, Matt Oliver got the next three, now it was back to JDG.
Home team Birkenhead United had lost four of their last five and made copious alterations. Keegan Smith was fit to wear the gloves following a couple weeks out plus Leon van den Hoven and Nathan Rostron also returned. In keeping with a year of extensive squad overhauls (pretty amazing that Birko have done as well as they have done with so many ins and outs), it was announced during the week that this would be the final appearance for Curtis Hughes in red and white... and would have been for Sammy Khan too except he didn’t play. They’re each departing for opportunities in Australia. Hughes has an NPL gig with Goulburn Valley Suns in Melbourne while Khan is moving for work but is aiming to find a club in Sydney. Meanwhile, Kian Donkers has already left for what Birko referred to as “an exciting new opportunity”. Donkers previously spent time in the Netherlands with a couple of pro academies so we’ll see where he ends up. New journeys await.
Off the bat, Devin Slingsby hit a ripper on target but straight at JDG. Birko held some good early territory, with Hughes getting plenty of touches, though they were a little too sloppy to turn it into the real deal. Nathan Rostron didn’t judge the bounce of a cross from John Clout and touched it over the bar. Isaac Bates also smacked a free kick into the side-netting, not far away. Not quite knocking at the door but they were past the gate and walking up the path towards the house. Plus their back three were pouncing quickly and not letting Rangers find their happiness. Miramar’s brighter moments tended to involve guys like Owen Smith and Albie Frances-Alles running with the ball.
The knocking began when a Morgan Wellsbury header from a corner was slapped away off the line. Later Hughes drew a sharp reaction stop out of JDG. In other words, Birko were good value for their lead when some tenacious mahi from Rostron led to Isaac Bates curling in a beauty of a finish. Hughes with the assist for his lay-off. That’s the way to do it. Bates is an U20s loanee from Eastern Suburbs, previously with Melville, and has been an underrated presence for Birkenhead – the two games he didn’t start (2-4 vs Olympic, 0-3 vs AFC) were probably his team’s worse performances. His goal put Miramar Rangers on panic watch given how important these three points were to them.
Then again, it’s not like Birkenhead have been very safe with their leads... and this one didn’t even last until half-time. Hard closeouts had been leading to shoot-able free kicks at both ends. One of those, in added time, saw Martin Bueno rip an attempt into the wall, Jordan Lamb had a punt from the rebound which also got blocked, then Nico Bobadilla contorted himself to have it back even as the orange slices were passed around (and the deep heat applied vigorously, based on how many fouls there had been in this match).
Miramar used that equaliser as an injection of hope and began the second half with plenty of energy, leading to an Owen Smith shot that flew in via a slight deflection from outside the area to put Rangers ahead. Some really nice passing in the build-up there. An injury to Sam Philip then instigated a bevvy of substitutions for Birko as Paul Hobson made all five of them together on the hour. Tahi, rua, toru, wha, rimu: Harry Newbould, Hamed Basiri, Alex Connor-McClean, Kieran Richards, and Thomas Golding all introduced. Sounds a bit disruptive, right? Yeah well they conceded again a couple mins later when Andy Bevin popped up at the back post after Sam Gates had taken on his man at the byline. Then Theo Ettema headed home from a corner kick and it was 4-1 to Miramar after 72 minutes... after having been 1-0 down when the clock read 45 minutes.
That was all the goal scoring but there were still a heap more free kicks, including yellows for Ettema and Leon van den Hoven. When everyone was done kicking each other, Miramar Rangers had won their third game in a row and claimed first place on the ladder. They’ve scored at least three times in each of their five wins this campaign. Rangers were pretty average in the first half but they must have recalibrated at the break because the ball started pinging around with some zip afterwards with the attacking mids of Smith, Bevin, Bobadilla, and Lamb all looking good. Theo Ettema bossed it at the back like usual (he now has three goals!) – from the moment Birko conceded, Morgan Wellsbury was isolated and squeezed out of the action. That’s the third time in the last five that Birko have lost despite holding a lead during the game. They looked alright to begin with, Curtis Hughes doing some things and Dino Botica getting to the ball first, but as soon as they conceded one they fell apart. Now they’ve got even more player turnover to deal with over the last two weeks, as if they hadn’t had enough of that already in 2025.
Birkenhead United 1-4 Miramar Rangers
39’ | 1-0 | BU | Bates (Hughes)
45+3’ | 1-1 | MR | Bodadilla
53’ | 1-2 | MR | Smith (Bobadilla)
64’ | 1-3 | MR | Bevin (Lamb)
71’ | 1-4 | MR | Ettema (Gates)
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miramar Rangers | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 16 |
| Western Springs | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 16 |
| Wellington Olympic | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 15 |
| Christchurch United | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 14 |
| Auckland City | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 14 |
| Auckland FC | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 12 |
| Western Suburbs | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 10 |
| Birkenhead United | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 18 | -4 | 9 |
| Auckland United | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 8 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 7 |
| Coastal Spirit | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 20 | -15 | 7 |
| TOP SCORERS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Martin Bueno | Miramar Rangers | 7 |
| Sebastian Barton-Ginger | Western Suburbs | 5 |
| Kaelin Nguyen | Western Suburbs | 4 |
| Jack-Henry Sinclair | Wellington Olympic | 4 |
| Gerard Garriga | Auckland City | 4 |
| Jonty Bidois | Auckland FC | 4 |
| Shogo Osawa | Christchurch United | 4 |
| Gianni Bouzoukis | Wellington Olympic | 4 |
| Isa Prins | Wellington Olympic | 3 |
| Caspar McGavin | Western Springs | 3 |
| Ben Wallace | Western Springs | 3 |
| Reid Drake | Western Springs | 3 |
| Joel Stevens | Christchurch United | 3 |
| Theo Ettema | Miramar Rangers | 3 |
| Jackson Cole | Christchurch United | 3 |
| MOST ASSISTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Owen Smith | Miramar Rangers | 7 |
| Isa Prins | Wellington Olympic | 4 |
| Shaan Anand | Auckland United | 3 |
| Jordan Lamb | Miramar Rangers | 3 |
| Joel Stevens | Christchurch United | 3 |
The Niche Cache relies on the generous contributions of our readers to keep churning out the good stuff so if you reckon we’re worthy then please pop on over to Patreon, Substack, or Buy Me A Coffee to chip in