South Island League

Final Table:

Stats for the League:

121 goals scored, 53 for home team and 68 for away team at an average of 4.32 goals per game.

52 goals scored in first half and 69 scored after the break.

9 home wins,14 away wins with 5 score draws.

7 penalties, 4 own goals and 11 clean sheets.

Clean sheets - Cashmere Tech 4, Nomads and Suburbs 2 each and Bays, Coastal and Dunedin Tech one each.

Cashmere Tech, Nomads and Bays scored in every round, Coastal and Dunedin Tech six each, Queenstown Rovers 5, Suburbs 4, and Southland Utd 3.

Penalties scored: Cashmere Tech 2,Coastal 2, Nomads 2, Dunedin Tech 1.

Own goals conceded: Suburbs 2, Rovers 1 Southland United 1

Top scorers for the SFL:

https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/football/qualification...

Latest update on South Island league - more meetings

Even if they don't make it the top 3 of the Dunedin League qualify (let's say they just take the 3 teams that are willing to pay and play) they're never going to get around the fact that they aren't going to know the draw until heaps late. With Chch still doing the top 5, the draw will always be up in the air right until the league is cut and dry top 5 bottom 3. It was pretty early enough in 2018 but still... 

I would have thought all of this would be sorted by now. 

Can any of the clubs in Dunedin actually afford it?

Thats why you should have a format where the fixtures are determined before season starts, have a travel equalisation policy, and negotiate in bulk with the travel providers.  The existing format looks like it was designed by a committee with compromise everywhere.

I'd have an 8 team league/conference in each of the two regions, play each time in your conference twice, and those in the opposing conference once, 22 games in total.  This means you have four away games to the other conference.  This can be done as two weekends away which can be played as double-headers on a Friday night and Sunday afternoon.  A final between two conference winners at end of season, possibly even a final for each conference as well.  Relegation from the bottom of each conference to regional league. If you mandate a reserves team as well, the reserves don't need to play the intra-conference games

Co-ordinate with Air New Zealand as to when there four quietest weekends are so that you get a good rate on airfares and accomodation etc, and arrange fixtures accordingly.  Book flights, accomodation, minivans etc in January.

So you know as a club that if you accept entry into the league that your equalised costs for the season are going to include the equivalent of two weekends away to the other half of the island, as a player you may have to take two half days leave on a Friday, and your liver may take a hit on two weekends. 

If reports from the early discussions are to be believered that what’s varsity wanted football south to promote but none of the other clubs in the area had any interest. 

I highly doubt that a format / proposal supported only by Varsity was going to be good for the league / region. Few clubs in Dunedin have the structures in place and want to spend a bit more time / resources to ensure their best teams are playing in the best competitions available to them. 

Its just so frustrating that issues with the league / season ahead are never sorted well in advance. If Football South want to help clubs save money, and therefore be able to spend more on development etc, then sort out what the season looks like before Christmas. Even a plan or draw for half the season would be better, with the rest sorted before season start. 

When does the Mainland comp start? Football South doesn't usually start until March but if I recall, Mainland had played 5 or so games by then last year..

The MPL draw is out and 1st game is set down for the 9th of March.

Hence why we can get through 2 rounds of an 8 team league, plus some CC rounds, before the South Island league starts. 

Think the comment was lost in translation, was more angling that there’s not a lot of initiative coming out of the area. Which are the biggest clubs now, assume tech are up there.

I think i'm right in saying Mosgiel and OUAFC are confirmed for the Southern Football League. Third team to be decided - think it's between Caversham and Queenstown

No Tech or Roslyn?  They were always very strong when I played down there and had plenty of cash

Can Mosgiel or varsity put up a fight in this league, what are their squads like. I’d guess Mosgiel will recruit but can varsity afford it.

Roslyn are a decent side - just missing some x factor players. Tech are shocking this year, lost something like 15 first team players from last year and are not at the races.

Mosgiel have heavily recruited, and have a brilliant midfield and attack - but they are vulnerable at the back to pace and directness. Varsity have a very thin squad, but a fit and firing starting 11 are different class to watch - they play as close to 'total football' as I have seen down here, though it does get them into trouble on occasions. Their little number 10 is outstanding. Caversham (should they qualify, which they will) are also a very solid opposition. Plenty of pace up top and some old heads at the back. If they could get Liam Little playing they would be another competitive team I think (hope)!

Mosgiel, Otago University AFC, Caversham have qualified - bring it on! I think all 3 of these sides are better than what the South put up last year.

Now that all the teams are in, here is my prediction for the upcoming SI League:

Cashmere Technical

Nelson Suburbs

Mosgiel AFC

Nomads United

Otago University AFC

Coastal Spirit

Western AFC

Caversham AFC

Fixture list available?

Coastal to win it. 

Would hope so with the money they’re throwing around at players

Spill the beans, who have they been offering money to??

Go on, back your chat up with something half sustainable for the people. bring some facts for once instead of all rumors through the leagues

Varsitys back 4 are going to get exposed big time and Mosgiel arent as good as you think

Suburbs

Cashmere

Coastal

Nomads

Western

Caversham

Mosgiel

Varsity

Agree to disagree - although this weekend Cashmere Technical may take advantage of the university break in Dunedin!

News from Dunedin...

Mosgiel have signed Ben Deeley and Lewis Wall - unsure if anyone else

Caversham have signed Liam Little, Rhys Henderson ... and Ryan Fleming. Two decent signings there then

OUAFC have signed Eddie Wilkinson, Hugo Kidd and Santeri Kuivalainen. They have also released their wider squad, which looks reasonably tidy:

• Goalkeepers: Stewart Catto and Tom Fitall
• Defenders: Arnon Tapp, Jack Rathbone, Tom Sule, Tim O’Farrell, Albie Murray and Connor Speer.
• Midfielders: Ben O’Farrell, Oban Hawkins, Greg Nimmo, Ben Stanley and Hugo Kidd
• Attackers: Allan McBride, Eddie Wilkinson, Dom Scahill, Harry Gaskin, Tom Durkin and Santeri Kuivalainen

Interested to see what odds Bet365 has in store - could be some money to be made!

Bold call Shushy considering Costal's patchy form in recent weeks.  I hear Haris Zeb has moved to Wellington to play for Western Suburbs and the club are looking to sign a keeper. 

Correct. Harris at Ole. 

It is Haris

Today's result:

Southern Football League

Coastal Spirit 3 (Ash Wellbourn 3) Nomads 0 HT 1 - 0 

Funny game that.

Overall fairly even in general play but Coastal defintiely created far more chances and should have scored 2 or 3 more which would have been a complete injustice. Their new keeper had a blinder, mind you I don't recall Nomads creating a genuine chance. Actually, in some ways they reminded me of the Coastal of old (and not so old) where they seem to be quite happy creating play in the middle third but can't seem to fashion decent goal scoring chances, maybe for fair of losing possession. Possibly a lack of genuine football nous?

Entertaining game well worth the entrance money.

Paul the Wall Hughes. Making the impossible look easy since 2pm this afternoon. ?

Round 1 Sunday Results / Scorers

Nelson Suburbs 4 (Cam Gordon 2, Mark Johnson, Bryan McClelland) Western 0 HT 2 - 0

Mosgiel 0 Caversham 2 (Ben Kiore, Conner Neil) HT 0 - 1

Otago University 0 Cashmere Technical 3 (Garbhan Coughlan 2, Lyle Matthysen) HT 0 - 0

OUAFC 0 3 Cashmere Technical - not the accurate result I don't think, Cashmere pulled away with two late goals after being frustrated for a large portion of the game. Varsity had only 5 regular starters on the field, and I think once they're up to full strength they could get a few results, but time will tell. 

7 actually; Catto, Rathbone, Nimmo, B. O'Farrell, Tapp, T. O'Farrell and Scahill all regular starters, and Durkin also is a borderline starter. 

Cashmere the far better team. The stats on Bet365 supported this with Tech having a far larger amount of 'dangerous attacks'. Varsity did ok in patches, but also simply not good enough defensively at times. Both late goals were terrible defending from Nimmo and then O'Farrell