Solomon Islands players shine in Australia with key wins and losses across SA State League One and NPL matches.
Rovu Boyers and his club West Adelaide pulled off another win over the weekend to
maintain their third position in the South Australia (SA) State League One.
Boyers played the whole match during the Hellas’ 1-0 win against South Adelaide in round
nine of SA State League One on Saturday. Ethan Nasau scored within two minutes from kick
off and West Adelaide maintained the scoreline until the final whistle.
In another SA State League One game, Micah Lea’alafa’s Viper FC put up a tough fight
against first place Stuart Lions. Vipers managed to keep the scoreline nil-all in the first
stanza. However, the Lions managed to add another three points when they score quick
three goals in the last 20 minutes of the second half.
Lea’afala played well for the Vipers, but the Lions were too strong and with their 3-0 win, had
increased their position at the top of the table to 27 points. Vipers remain in 10 th place with
only eight points after round nine.
Another defeat followed for another Solomon Islander as William Komasi’s Adelaide Cobras
were pecked apart by second place Adelaide Blue Eagles in a 4-2 loss. Two goals by the
Cobras were both from penalties whilst Blue Eagles’ four goals were executed from open
play. Komasi’s Cobras are just two points ahead of Lea’alafa’s Vipers at ninth place.
“Our Seniors battled through a fast-paced, physical encounter against Adelaide Blue Eagles,
ultimately going down 4–2, but there were plenty of positives. Andrea Panayi and Jack
Dawson both held their nerve from the spot, converting two well-taken penalties to keep us
in the contest. The boys showed spirit, resilience, and flashes of real attacking promise
throughout the match. The fight is there, and the belief remains strong. We regroup, refocus,
and come back sharper next week. Let’s go, Cobras!” Cobra stated in their social media
page.
A level up in the South Australia (SA) National Premier League (NPL) division, Javin Wae
and his club, Campbelltown FC defeated second place Adelaide City in 1-0 win on Friday
night. This victory pushes them from ninth to now sixth place on the table. Although Wae
picked up a yellow card in the match, his defensive resilience managed to keep Adelaide
City from scoring. A last-minute goal from Campbelltown gave them a vital three points when
Alex Mullen headed in a rebound off the cross bar.
In another SA NPL round nine match on Sunday, Junior David came in as a second half
substitute in another disappointing 3-1 loss for his Croydon FC side against FK Beograd.
The defeat means Croydon FC has dropped to seventh place in the SA NPL table, one place
behind Wae’s Campbelltown whilst FK Beograd is now fourth on the table after round nine
matches on the weekend.
Meanwhile in the New South Wales (NPL), Raphael Leai played a pivotal role for
Wollongong Wolves in a 3-0 win over table leaders Marconi Stallion on Saturday. The
Solomon Islands winger assisted with the first goal when he provided a crucial cross for hat-
trick hero Lachlan Scott to score in the 13 th minute for his first goal of the night.
Scott scored two more goals in the second half for Wolves to win 3-0 and pushed
themselves to sixth position with 20 points after round 14 in the NSW NPL table. Despite
dropping three points, Marconi still leads the table with 33 points ahead of second place
Rockdale Ilinden at 28 points.
Leai in the NSW NPL competition, Wae in the SA NPL and Boyers in the SA State League
One level all won their respective matches over the Mothers’ Day weekend. However, it was
not to be for David in the SA NPL, Lea’alafa and Komasi in the SA State League One as
their respective clubs lost their matches.
The opportunity to play soccer in South Australia for Wae, David, Lea’alafa, Boyers and
Komasi and Leai in NSW was made possible through Solomon Islands Football Federation’s
(SIFF) partnership with the Australian High Commission in Honiara as part of a four-year
SBD18.4 million (AUD3.5 million) investment in football.
SOURCE: By Ethan Habru in Adelaide
