Mixed results as football season begins in Bay of Plenty
The men's teams of Tauranga City, Pāpāmoa FC, Otūmoetai FC and Ngongotahā Lakes all suffered losses but it was a more positive start for the women.
It’s been a summer of change in the local football landscape, with Northern Region Football introducing an entirely new format for the upcoming season.
In the men’s game, Tauranga City AFC will be looking to go one better than last season’s third-place finish and secure promotion to the NZF Northern League as one of the top two in the renamed NRFL Men’s Championship.
Meanwhile, the introduction of a regional third tier, split into the NRFL Northern Conference and Southern Conference means Pāpāmoa and Otūmoetai enter the NRFL system this season in the latter. There’s even more transformation in the Central Bay, where a merger has led to a Ngongotahā Lakes team also entering the league this season.
That change theme continues with Tauranga City, who have said goodbye to key attacking players Ry McLeod and Mirko Brinkmann, who headed over the Kaimais to join Northern League outfits Melville United and Hamilton Wanderers respectively.
Barry Gardiner’s side also lined up for their opening game of the season against Hibiscus Coast with a new keeper in Callum Glover while the likes of Tom Crawford, Eamon O’Donoghue and Morgan Wellsbury added more fresh faces to the line-up.
But it proved to be a disappointing weekend at Ocean Downs Reserve, with the club’s traditional ground Links Ave still undergoing restoration.
City lost captain Cameron Grieve to injury early in the first half before a brace from Emmanuel Darkwa earned the league newbies a 2-0 opening-day triumph. Next up for Tauranga is fellow newly promoted side Ngāruawāhia United.
Pāpāmoa, Otūmoetai and Ngongotahā Lakes did not fare better in their opening NRFL Southern Conference fixtures.
Pap found themselves at the mercy of Taupō goal machine Joseph O’Donoghue. His hat- trick helped the Lakers to a 5-1 win, with Colm Kenny coming off the bench to score a 90th-minute consolation.
Ngongy Lakes lost 4-1 to Waikato Unicol in Pukete, the game turning on a 30th-minute red card for Luke Barker.
Oats had a closer run-in with Te Awamutu but lost 3-2 in Waipa, Joaquin Javier Reynoso and Caelan Fraher scoring the away side’s goals.
It was, however, a more positive opening day for the Bay’s women’s sides.
After finding life tough in their inaugural Premier League campaign, Tauranga City will be in the NRFL Women’s Championship this year.
A consistent summer has seen most of City’s key players stick around and they were comfortable 2-0 victors over Central United, Briana Osborne at the double at Gordon Spratt.
Otūmoetai join their cross-town rivals in the Women’s Championship this year after crushing all comers in a dominant WaiBOP W-League 2022 campaign.
They showed grit to come back from two goals down and secure a 2-2 draw against Onehunga Sports in their first foray into NRFL football, a late own goal ensuring the points were shared.
The NRFL changes have impacted the WaiBOP Federation, with just eight teams making up the men’s WaiBOP League One. Only the Tauranga City Fed team are left flying the flag for the Bay amongst a sea of Waikato rivals and started their season well with a 3-2 win over Matamata Swifts.
The WaiBOP W-League gets underway next weekend, with Tauranga City, Lakes and Otūmoetai all represented, as well as Tauranga Blue Rovers.
Baywide senior seasons also get underway next week, with men’s Bay 1, Bay 2 and an Over-35/Bay 3 league and the women’s Bay 1 competition.