Central League and Champs Premier League · Yellow Fever Nga Wana Kowhai

Yellow Fever would like to introduce the 4th Official. Each week heÃ¯Â¿Â½ll summarise club news from around the traps in Wellington letting you know whatÃ¯Â¿Â½s happened in the weekendÃ¯Â¿Â½s action. So if you want your scores, scorers or on the park action written up, get in touch at fever@yellowfever.co.nz. DonÃ¯Â¿Â½t like his version of events? Log into the new Ã¯Â¿Â½Regional FootballÃ¯Â¿Â½ page in the message boards and get stuck in!!

2007 Central League Preview

Central League football kicks off for 2007 on Friday and Yellow Fever brings you all the off season action in previewing this years competition.

2006 champions, Miramar Rangers, will be desperate to win the competition in this their centenary year. Again the midfield boasts the talent of Tim Butterfield , David Batty, Alan Chote and Wiremu Patrick, and a bulked up Jamie Farrington will be marshalling things at the back. They have also introduced a potent strike force in Dominic Rowe and Graham Little (although how much time he spends on the park is yet unknown). Newcomer Craig Alderdice (Wellington United via Manawatu in the NZFC) will add to their defence when eligible to play in July. Without any major off season losses Miramar will be the team to beat again in 2007.

Western Suburbs are always in the frame, and this year should be no different. Hoping to build on last seasonÃ¯Â¿Â½s Chatham Cup victory they have picked up Jonathan Rowe and Darren Cheriton, and have Mike McKinlay back to shore up their defence. David Johnston and Alex Chiet are returning to the club from overseas travel. Wests will be challenging for the title again this year.

2006 was a mixed year for Lower Hutt with wins over quality opposition balanced by some surprise losses. Expect Lower Hutt to be a useful team under new coach Brendon McIntyre, with Team Wellington players Matt Adams, Phil Patterson, Steve Gulley and Jamie Duncan forming the nucleus. Word is out that they also have a couple of Costa Rican imports joining the club.

Olympic will rely heavily on the experience of the returning Simon George this year, with a young team on the cards for the Greeks after losing some senior players to other clubs. However, Raf de Gregorio has signed with the club but is still injured. The BarbarousesÃ¯Â¿Â½ brothers George and Costa will be relied upon to provide the majority of goals. However, the NZ under-20 side attending the World Cup in Canada mid season will have an impact on the team with both in the frame for selection.

After a creditable 2nd place last year, Gisborne have picked up Darren Ah Kuoi (Olympic and Team Wellington) and Pedro Garcias (Waitakere) (although the latter can't play until July) for 2007. The club is very ambitious, recently missing out on entry into the NZFC, and will no doubt be hauling other talent into the region. Expect to see Kevin Fallon and a range of NZFC talent at a ground near you.

Stop OutÃ¯Â¿Â½s new coach Grant Turner will have Wayne Rooker back to run the midfield, and Matt Bennet and Andy Le Prou to supply goals. Sam Higgins (Olympic) has signed after a flirtation with Karori. They are likely to have some overseas players join the mix, but may still be lacking the depth of some of the other teams in the league. Their second year in Central League may be a testing one.

Wellington United have lost a lot of their stronger players to other clubs, with Hayden Laird (overseas), Dominic Rowe (Miramar), Trent Watson (NZFC) and Craig Alderdice (Miramar) all departed. Coach Ross Durant has picked up a few foreign football playing travellers, and Eddie Mason has joined from the University club in Dunedin, but this will not be enough to see them compete for the title.

Team TaranakiÃ¯Â¿Â½s debut season in the league may be an eye-opener as they realise what it takes to compete at this higher level. Having lost players from the side that earned them promotion, the cost of competing in Central League will be huge, and has left no money left to lure players from outside the region. Mark Bland, a former NZ schoolboys captain, is the only notable addition. The team is unlikely to have the quality required to compete, and will rely on claiming points at home to attempt to avoid relegation.

Palmerston North Marist will be the only representative from Manawatu after Red Sox were relegated last year after a dismal season. The performance of Manawatu in the NZFC shows that football is strong in the region but word is that many have decided to take a break after a hectic season. The Solomon Island boys have signed deals with Nelson club Richmond so will be out of action. An unknown quantity.

Napier will rely on youth this year after producing a talented under 19 team that won the 2006 tournament and will be hoping the improvement by NZFC franchise Hawkes Bay will be reflected in its winter side. Jimmy Cudd (Wests) is returning to the bay but is ineligible until July. Graham Fyfe shone in the Central League last year and is a genuine talent. Napier will be affected by the under-20 World Cup, but will not be the easy beats of 2006. Could be a dark horse with passionate backing at Park Island, Ã¯Â¿Â½the home of footballÃ¯Â¿Â½.

2007 Champs Premier League Preview

Hilton Petone is finished, daylight saving is over and the goals are up at Miramar park. That means only one thing, football is back for 2007. This yearÃ¯Â¿Â½s edition of the Champs Premier League promises to be another tight affair as the lure of Central League football encourages ambitious clubs on in 2007.

Last yearÃ¯Â¿Â½s champions Petone have lost a wee bit of depth and class this year with Jason Schrivers heading overseas. All the same, they looked a very well organised and clinical unit during Hilton Petone and with the return home from Wests of proven goal-scorer, Paul Whitmarsh, Petone will be difficult to beat as usual.

Lower HuttÃ¯Â¿Â½s Reserves triumphed in a playoff over Marist 3-2 at the back end of 2006 after finishing second in Capital 1. Another side whose results will be dictated by player availability, Lower Hutt may not have the strength in depth that Wests have developed. However, strong home support and a genuine desire from club management to retain premier status will make 2007 an interesting year.

Tawa surprised many last year with second place, picking up a very impressive 45 points on the way (which in any other year would have won them the league comfortably). They will be out to go one further in 2007 and having retained the Romijn brothers as well as Daniel Wood. and added wily veteran Jason Pine, they will be in the mix come August.

A combination of no home ground, Sunday games and herbals left Waterside Karori in a disappointing mid table last year. They appear to have recruited well in the off season with the addition of the Silver brothers hoping to offset the loss of Steve Jones to Miramar. Wharfies will be pushing hard for promotion with the superb upgrade to facilities at Karori Park.

Island Bay shocked Central League champions Miramar in the semi final at Petone, and appear a different prospect than last year. Coaches Dean Holmes and John Dale have prepared a well drilled unit capable of challenging for the title, and the addition of several disgruntled ex-Wellington United players has created competition for places. Ã¯Â¿Â½Shark ParkÃ¯Â¿Â½ will be a difficult place to visit in 2007.

Rumours of strong recruitment from Stop Out was the talk of the off season for the Upper Hutt faithful, but appears not to have come to fruition. Mixed fortunes in 2006 seem to be destined to be repeated in 2007. Still able to beat anyone on their day, they may be in a battle at the wrong end of the table.

Kapiti United were promoted from Capital 1 last year after running out convincing winners. Much of their success was achieved through an experienced and parsimonious back four that conceded less than a dozen goals all year. Strong at set pieces, the step up in quality will be a real test, but they should be strong enough to retain their premier status. Will be targeting matches up the coast at Weka Park where they are always hard to beat.

BNU have flirted with relegation in recent seasons but knocked off some bigger scalps last year to finish a creditable 7th. Hilton Petone results suggest BNU will struggle, and word is they have lost some of their hardened veterans. But, with the experienced Barry Truman assisting behind the scenes, they should still be capable of pulling a few surprises. An unknown quantity.

Wests ReservesÃ¯Â¿Â½ fortunes will surely depend somewhat on the results of its Central League squad, but this side showed last year that the Porirua based club deserves two teams in these elevated environs. Capable of beating anyone on their day, most players will be looking forward to Friday night under lights as one of the seasonÃ¯Â¿Â½s highlights.

Wairarapa United competed well in 2006 after elevation from Capital 1 with a squad peppered with athletic Pacific Islanders. Although retaining their Fijian player/coach, indications are that more local talent will be included in this years model. Wairarapa demonstrated the strength in the regions of Wellington football by drawing with Olympic in pre-season.

thefever2007-04-04 17:31:57

Very intrestn start 2 the central league 07

Top 5 so far after four games goes like this:

Lower Hutt City, Miramar Rangers both at the top with 8 points then you got Wellington Olympic, Western Suburbs & Napier City Rovers all on 7 points

Its a very close start this year with not really any big movers in the 1st 4 games, personally i think its going to be a very intrstn and tight battle to the end this season!

Also Napier City Rovers have made an impressive start this year too after a poor season in 06.

Click on the link below and join the Central League Soccer Competition where you are able to make predictions week in week out and win prizes at the end of the Year.

http://www.soccer.org.nz/comp_csl/

Goo Wellington Olympic, 'The Greeks'