Youngheart were booted out years before (boo!) and were replaced by a nepo youth team based at North Harbour.
I wholeheartedly echo your sentiment here. 💔😥
The league was dead to me after they were excluded.
Some great memories of the club and those that came through Palmy though, especially some of the island players - Nelson Sale, Osea Vakatalesau, Benjamin Totori, Seule Soromon and the late Commins Menapi.
Youngheart were booted out years before (boo!) and were replaced by a nepo youth team based at North Harbour.
I wholeheartedly echo your sentiment here. 💔😥
The league was dead to me after they were excluded.
Some great memories of the club and those that came through Palmy though, especially some of the island players - Nelson Sale, Osea Vakatalesau, Benjamin Totori, Seule Soromon and the late Commins Menapi.
Can't forget one Alex Rufer either.
Who was the blond kid who used to tear up opposing defences? Edit, courtesy of Google: Jason Hayne
There may not a single player who has improved more over the past 12 months than Nathan Garrow. He only joined ACFC in 2024 after Joe Wallis signed with West Bromwich Albion, occasionally filling in for some U20s minutes as a promising youngster. Then he made a name for himself with some heroic saves against Boca Juniors at the Club World Cup and since then he’s just skyrocketed. Confident, composed, and convincing. He’s got full internationals in his defensive line yet the 21yo is never shy to let his voice be heard. Very courageous. Makes some wonderful saves, particularly in those 1v1 situations. We’re so accustomed to seeing Conor Tracey between the sticks for the Navy Blues but Nathan Garrow played every minute during the National League and there was no drop-off at all. The only thing missing was a couple saves in the grand final shootout but hey he still won the thing so no sweat.
CB – Theo Ettema (Miramar Rangers)
It was a bit curious when Theo Ettema left Wellington Olympic at the start of the year to join Miramar Rangers, who hadn’t even made the National League in 2024. But he knew what he was doing. Previously seen as a centre-back/centre-mid hybrid, Ettema nailed down a starting CB job with Rangers and if this National League is anything to go by (it is) then he’s found himself a home. He was the one constant in the back four for Rangers as they went within a whisker of making the final. Very tall and commanding at the back, he also scored three goals getting up for set pieces. If you’ve been reading the Team of the Week nods in our TNC Substack newsletters then you’ll know that Ettema was one of only four dudes who made four separate TOWs (Prins, TDP, and McKenlay were the others).
CB – Christian Gray (Auckland City)
Not to be rude here but if we’re only measuring pure talent and athleticism then there are far more gifted defenders in this competition than Christian Gray (the main one being the guy who’s partnering him here). Not one of them had a better season than El Profesor though. This team is only for National League but it’s valuable context to mention the predilection this bloke has developed for scoring crucial goals – beginning with the draw vs Boca at the CWC. That carried on into the Nats with a late equaliser vs AFC, a clinching second in a must-win vs Coastal in the last round, and then of course his 120+2nd minute leveller to force penalties in the final. Gray played every game, anchoring the ACFC defence with the kind of defensive performances that you can build a team around. Barely put a foot wrong. And he’s a cult hero in Argentina too (check out the social media interactions for any ACFC post about Gray scoring a goal).
CB – Nikko Boxall (Auckland City)
Now we come to the bloke who actually is the most talented and athletic defender in the competition. The best, too. The only possible reason for not putting him first team was that he did miss three of the first five games... but considering they conceded seven goals in those three matches that probably works in favour of his case. Boxall is the younger bro of All Whites legend Michael and has played over 200 games of professional footy himself, mostly in Finland and Denmark, as well as being a six-cap All Whites international. It’s pretty obvious that he’s a level above. He’s faster, fitter, stronger, and smarter than the competition. Nobody jumps higher. Took a remarkably good penalty in the shootout too.
RWB – Owen Smith (Miramar Rangers)
A worthy recipient of the National League MVP award after re-announcing himself in kiwi football. The 25yo wide player, who hails from New Plymouth, was a Phoenix Reserves lad once upon a time before spending four years over in America doing the college thing. He was a midfielder when he left but something must have changed because he played exclusively as a winger or fullback during this National League. And, yeah, that worked out pleasantly. He was the creative source for almost everything that Rangers did. Direct running and outstanding crossing from open play. Set piece deliveries, especially those lefty inswinging corners. The multiple penalties that he earned. Add them all together and that’s how this lad ended up with eight assists (including the penalties) from nine matches. The only game he missed was the season finale where Miramar lost 2-1 to ten-man Wellington Olympic to fall shy of a grand final spot... safe to say they could have used him.
CM – Mario Ilich (Auckland City)
This guy right here, more than anyone else, drives the standards at ACFC. He’s a leader on and off the pitch, anchoring the midfield with nous and guile and a bit of aggression when required. Only missed one game during the National League despite the intense workload across the full year and when the Navy Blues found themselves in must-win territory he scored in two of their last three matches (all wins). Ilich is one of those players who is so reliably excellent every week that you can take for granted how much he’s doing. For that reason, he wasn’t one of the initial names that pop off the longlist when putting together a team like this yet as other names were scratched off his stayed there and eventually it became clear that this is where he needed to be.
CM – Finn McKenlay (Auckland FC)
The ginger-headed maestro in the midfield for Auckland FC. He made a couple of A-League appearances last year during an injury crisis and was a key player at the U20 World Cup a few months back so not an unknown by any means. But people have gotta know that Finniesta is no ordinary prospect. With his height and long strides there are shades of Marko Stamenic about the way he moves across a football pitch. He brought a very sturdy presence to those defensive areas from the outset, shielding the back four and collecting the ball early in the build-up, and as the season progressed we saw more and more of his cross-field switches and forward carries. Then by the end of it he was banging in long-range goals as well. McKenlay could have simply focussed on his CDM duties and still been a very notable National League force but nope he ramped it up in the opposition half as well and that’s pushed him all the way into TNC’s 2025 First Eleven. Amazing player, get him into that A-League squad, Mr Corica!
CM – Tor Davenport-Petersen (Wellington Olympic)
He didn’t win the overall award, that was Owen Smith’s territory, but Tor Davenport-Petersen did get TNC’s endorsement for National League MVP. He was the best player for the best team, a powerful figure going box to box for the Greeks and he did so every week without fail. What an engine on the man! Three goals and an assist too – including a screamer in a comeback win away to Birko and also the goal that sent Wellington Olympic into the final when they beat Miramar in the final round. TDP is the drummer who holds the beat for this team. He’s the hands of the clock. He’s the key in the ignition. He used to be one of the most underrated players in the country but at this point you’d have to have your head in the sand to still be underrating him.
LWB – Oliver Van Rijssel (Christchurch United)
Inconsistent though his team may have been, you had to be impressed by Oliver Van Rijssel’s efforts on the left edge – sometimes at LCB in the back three, sometimes at LWB. That kind of versatility is so helpful, so valuable... especially when it’s a player like OVR whose touch and decision making are dependable enough that you could probably put him anywhere on the pitch and he’d be effective. He rips in defensively and his three assists along the way reflect what he had to offer in the other direction. The Ole Academy graduate was hugely influential in the win against Miramar Rangers and the draw against Auckland City so you can’t say he didn’t bring the goods in big games either. Superb campaign from the 25yo. Like many here, you’ll catch him next in the OFC Pro League.
FW – Isa Prins (Wellington Olympic)
No doubt about it. Isa Prins was fantastic during a tough campaign for the Greeks last year so with the team looking much more like its familiar self this time he had even more room to impress. Hero of the Chatham Cup final... and now a National League MVP candidate at only 20 years old. Prins scored in extra time of the grand final to take his tally to five goals and five assists. He was able to remain effective whether he was picked as an attacking midfielder or as a left wing-back thanks to his wicked dribbling and lighting quick off-ball runs. Really good in crowded areas too, thanks to that sneaky futsal touch that he’s developed. There was plenty of hype around him coming into this MNL and he delivered on all of it. Unlucky to miss out on U20 World Cup selection a few months back and you have to wonder if they’d still be brave enough to ignore him if that squad was being picked now.
FW – Martin Bueno (Miramar Rangers)
The runaway Golden Boot winner has gotta be here. There were games when Bueno was absolutely unplayable with his slick touches and his flawless finishing. Despite being a relatively slight fella, he holds the ball up superbly, using his body as a shield, and having the ability to spin out of pressure and create immediately from those situations. We’ve seen the Uruguayan do this for years in Aotearoa and he remains as good as ever, also swooping on that Central League Golden Boot. He scored nine times in the Nats, 19 times in the Central League, and when you add in a Chatham Cup goal that takes him to a sweet 29 bangers for the 2025 calendar. Nobody else scored more than five in the National League - even if you discount his three penalties, he was still the top scorer. Bueno also had games where he was barely a factor as opponents cut his supply line, such are the perils of being a striker, but when Rangers got that ball where it needed to go there they couldn’t have dreamed of a better finisher to put it where it needed to go.
I dont think Wellington United had much to do with TW. Playing at Davey F they always seemed closest to Miramar of any of the local clubs.
Either way they were never going to keep existing once the league went club based.
Originally they did - Team Wellington had buy in from most Wellington Clubs (notable exception being Western Suburbs who had tried to get their own "Ole Madrid's" into the league) TW were originally based at Newtown Park. I'm not sure of the exact date but at some stage as more clubs pulled out of supporting them (ie not paying membership fees anymore), Miramar stepped up as the main supporter financially and took over the running of TW and they moved to Davey F
I don’t have the exact numbers but it feels like Auckland City have been the most affected by the OFC. With a 4 week stand down at the completion, it’s gonna be late in the season for their return.
Are they the worst hit? As a club how are they handling this?
