So did none of the 14 local players they trialed end of October pass muster?
Of the 3-4 others that I've heard have signed, none of them were triallists.
Garbhan Coughlan told my mate that he would have loved to take part, but with three very young kids, it wasn't practical to spend so much time away from home, since it's not a traditional home-and-away league but played in hubs around Australasia and the Pacific.
This has resulted in South Island United mostly signing younger players without family commitments.