14 June 2025

bountymouse88
Jun 16
11 min read

Division 1: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 1st XI Division 2: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 2nd XI

Division 3: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 3rd XI Division 4:

Sprig + Fern Tahuna 4th XI

Women's Premiership: Sprig + Fern Tahuna Breakers Masters Football: Sprig + Fern Tahuna Masters

1st XI 3-1 FC Nelson

Location: Tahunanui S1

Goals: Ethan 2, Mackenzie

Match MVP: Stan Venue: KFC Park (more mud than grass)

Competition: League

Conditions: Slippery, sticky.

In front of a loyal crowd braving the swampy trenches of KFC Park, Tahuna Firsts put on a gritty, gutsy display to claim all three points in a 3–1 win over FC Nelson Karenni.

The tone was set early with a yellow dished out to Karenni inside the first few minutes — a sign of things to come. The opening half was a scrap, both sides throwing punches in a fast-paced midfield brawl, until Ethan finally bundled one over the line just before the break. His first of the season — and a personal redemption arc after last week’s missed pen/planned assist? 1–0 to TFC at oranges.

Second half kicked off and it wasn’t long before Luc slid through a beauty of a ball that sliced the Karenni defence wide open. Ethan, one-on-one, made no mistake — partly thanks to a keeper clearly distracted by the scent of Sprig and Fern chips drifting over the road. 2–0, and cruising.

That lasted about 10 seconds. From the sideline, Rhys shouted something about keeping a clean sheet, and the football gods swiftly punished such hubris. Karenni pulled one back immediately. Game on.

Tempers flared, cards were flashed — Nick and Ethan both adding to their collection. As the clock ticked down and tired legs kicked in, the old rallying cry of “dig deep lads” echoed out. Skipper Seth answered. A run down the right, a low square ball across the box, and there was Macca “The Goat” Manaton to slot home his 5th of the season. Ice cold. 3–1. Curtains.

It was a proper battle — every player gave everything. Stan earned a well-deserved MOTM for his tireless shift in midfield. Sadly, he was robbed of his free pint, with Karenni heading to the wrong Sprig post-match. Poor form.

Tahuna now looks ahead to a massive Matariki Friday clash at home — a six-pointer against Rangers, with a chance to leapfrog them on the table. Buckle up.

Up the Huna. Match report by Joe Robertson.

2nd XI 4-1 Wakefield 1st XI

Location: Wakefield Domain

Goals: Will 3, Pedro

Match MVP: Will Mathews

Rinse and repeat.

After a good win against the same opposition last week, the away leg to Wakefield is always a highlight on the 2nd div calendar. A quick stop on the way out for a 3pm kickoff saw some heated debate on tactics over a fizzy drink. A worthwhile discussion as it turned out as multiple changes in the squad and a very moist and muddy pitch dictated a more defensive set up this week.

Wakefield back to full strength started much more determined this week and some more direct running in midfield put us under pressure early but cool heads prevailed, and the defensive shape made it relatively comfortable for Ross to clean up any attacking threat.

While we worked hard to plug any gaps, the boys didnt change anything going forward. Plenty of movement up front and good delivery from midfield lead to some good periods of pressure which saw Pedro win and score a well taken penalty. Will Mathews grabbed his first chance with two hands (allegedly) and slotted home for a 2-0 half time lead.

Wakefield didn't let up after the half and after some sustained pressure, pulled one back from the edge of the box. Will "I Slipped" Murphy with some choice words for the back line kicked us back into gear and we pressed onward.

Other Will was at it again to slot home his 2nd and 3rd to put it out of reach. Raimund won a penalty late but the Wakefield keeper made a sharp save down to his left.

IT once again solid on the left stopped any threats coming through and over on the right Dan Smith was back to his best running up and down the wing endlessly while Petchy and Sam argued over who had to play injured.

No surprises for MOM Will Mathews on target again.

Loco this Friday at home is sure to test us but this group are up for it.

Match report by Tuesday.

3rd XI 2-1 FC Nelson

Location: Tahunanui S2 Goals: Sayha, Thorsten

Match MVP: Will After a frustrating loss in the cup against Stags the previous weekend Tahuna were looking to make a statement in the league.

1st half:

Tahuna shaped up in a 5-3-2 formation to begin with due to some last minute changes on account of players off with illness and the game kicked off. FC Nelson looked sharp knowing a win today would close the gap at the top. Some neat play between Sobi and Will in the middle of the park to get Tahuna rolling. It was a lot of back and forth action with both teams looking to break the deadlock. It was Tahuna who got the first proper shot off as a quickly taken throw-in by Thorsten allowed Binh to find space and unleash a trademark bazooka shot that the FC Nelson keeper had to touch onto the bar at full stretch!

It would be FC to take the lead as a brilliant first save by Tom Dunn wasn't enough to stop FC putting the ball in the back of the net on the follow up. Shades of Stags maybe?

Tahuna kicked off an immediately changed formation with Thorsten coming into midfield and Binh pushing up to CAM. The change already making FC sweat as Tahuna started playing their tiki taka football. Multiple shots from Sayha weren't enough to break the FC Nelson GK. FC Nelson again tried threatening but the backline of Rhys, Matty, Eric and Fraser were not going to allow FC another chance. Tahuna won a freekick on the edge of the box and Binh again unleashed a worldie with the keeper again tipping the ball onto the crossbar at full stretch. Oli Creed's screams could be heard from the sideline as to how close that shot was.

A quick change and Dong came off for the return of Stu after months off with injury. Tahuna continued to threaten as the half drew to a close. But when the ref blew the whistle the score was FC Nelson 1 Tahuna 0.

An incredibly positive team chat at half time from Tahuna saw Dong come back on for Stu and Rhys having a break to get Ralph on.

2nd half:

Tahuna kicked off and immediately the positive chat had an impact as numerous chances fell to Tahuna and the football was beautiful to watch. Then, Tom released a ball from the back, to Rhys who forwarded it to Will who then flicked it to Sobi who aimed a line breaker of a through ball straight into the path of Sayha who made no mistake and buried it in the keepers bottom left. 1-1 and Tahuna smelt blood in the water.

FC tried threatening but the midfield of Sobi, Thorsten and Will were having a field day, tearing the FC Nelson midfield apart, cutting every pass and putting in solid challenges. Sayha and Dong running after every ball that was sent their way.

Dong then requested subbing off and Stu again came on, Ralph too coming off for Rhys. Tahuna kept pressing, Sobi taking the FC Nelson #4 who was their main threat completely out the game by sticking to him like a drunk girl at the club. Tahuna again came forward and managed to win a corner. Binh whipped in the cross, Stu leapt for it narrowly skimming his head and falling into the path of Thorsten who threw himself headfirst at the ball like a Phil the power Taylor dart and hammered it into the back of the net. Absolute scenes, limbs everywhere, the 1sts hearing the cheers over on S1 during their warm up.

FC Nelson looked defeated after that goal but they picked themselves up and tried to mount a comeback. Numerous chances fell their way but Tom Dunn made himself larger than a sleeping Snorlax to not allow anything past him!

The backline doing everything in their power to not give FC Nelson an inch. Nelson then got a free kick inside the box after Eric had slipped and ended up going into a 2 footed challenge but in the process, knocked himself out!

Nelson took the freekick and the ball curled into the keepers bottom left, Tom Dunn wasn't having any of it and launched over to tip the ball away, cheers from the Tahuna home support with that save. A few more chances fell to Tahuna with Stu trying to set up Sayha, the linesman waving offside.

The ref blew for full time as Tahuna recorded a 2-1 win against FC Nelson, solidifying their position at the top of the league with a whopping 21 points!! Richmond Bogans sitting in 2nd with 13 points.

Tahuna welcome Loco Steamers at S2 for the next game on FULL SEND FOOTBALL FRIDAY!! Match report by Stuart Mountain.

4th XI 1-2 FC Nelson

Location: Victory Square

Goals: Brad

Match MVP: Jonny E A sick and injured 4th XI dragged themselves to victory square to take on last year's FC master's squad. Dressed in pink and half-time bananas on standby the only goal for the day was to play better than last week (still waiting for that match report Justin, how's the emotional processing going? 😛).

First half highlights included FC making a goal line clearance in the first few minutes after Keris managed to get the ball around their keeper, but a back tracking defender managed to get a foot to the shot. An indecisive scramble in front of goal between Josh and fill in GK Luke and upon seeing this, Mike took all confusion away by putting the ball into the back of his own net. Luke picked up a terrible back pass from Mike rather than letting their striker get the ball. We went into the break 0-2 down.

The second half had less memorable moments but showcased the football we capable of playing. Passing the ball to each other's feet, keeping possession and all the other basics, we threw out of the cot last week. Luke only touched the ball 4 times in the second half and FC only entered our half a dozen times. We piled the pressure on but just couldn't get the finishing touch we needed. Then in the 80th minute a thru ball found Brad at the far post and slotted one past the FC keeper to bring us back into the game. As hard as we tried, we didn't manage to find an equalizer and the game ended 2-1 to FC.

A much-improved performance all round from the team, MOTM honors went to Jonny E for a stellar performance at RB. Thanks to FC for having us and making sure the bar was well stocked.

Match report by Zach.

TFC Breakers 0-6 Richmond Foxes

Location: Jubilee Park S3

Goals:

Match MVP: Rebecca 'Duck' Beer

On a cold afternoon at Jubilee Park, the Richmond Foxes delivered a dominant performance against the visiting Tahuna Breakers, securing a 6-0 victory.

Despite the lopsided final scoreline, the Breakers showed grit and discipline throughout the first half. Strong forward play from Jesikah, Ruby, Sophie, and Hannah kept the pressure on Richmond’s defense, supported well by Amiee and Michelle on the wings. A solid defensive line—Marijke, Jenna, Bailey, and Rebecca—worked tirelessly to hold the Foxes at bay. Goalkeeper EJ was outstanding in goal, making several key saves and commanding her area with confidence.

It wasn’t until the final seconds of the first half that the deadlock was broken, when Richmond was awarded a penalty, which they calmly converted to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.

The second half saw the Foxes take control, capitalizing on a tiring Tahuna side to add five more goals. Despite the scoreline, there were several positives for the Breakers, including the return of Hannah Bibby after a long injury recovery, and Jennell’s first run on the field in four weeks following an ankle injury.

The team’s MVP for the match was Rebecca, whose assertive defensive efforts were a standout throughout the game. Her fearless challenges and tactical awareness drew cheers from the sideline—especially her now-iconic call of “Duck!”, which provided a moment of levity in a tough match.

While the result was disappointing, the Breakers’ first-half resilience and team spirit show plenty of promise for the games ahead.

Match report by Cris Phelan.

TFC Masters 5-1 Richmond Masters

Location: Jubilee Park S2

Goals: Gaz 2, Tomas, Paddy, Kev

Match MVP:

For the second week in a row we arrived at the Jubilee mud grounds, ready to scrap in the dirt with the Richmond Meadows side. Our team was high at the sight of Kev’s helium birthday balloon. Spirits tracked even higher when we spotted the bottle of Kraken rum tied to the floater. The rum interrupted our regulation pre match warm up routine. But with smiles on our faces and hics coming from our bellies we were (kind of) ready to compete.

Still licking our lips with yummy rum our defence watched the ball and simply gaped as the Meadows team broke our lines. Our offside trap was easily split and the Meadows lapped up the gift of a 1 goal lead. This sobered up the blue and white stripes who pushed forward, with the pressure resulting in a corner on the left. Kev is ever reliable with his corner placement. His cross dropped right in the mix and Gaz thrust it past their part time keeper forcefully, 1-1. The Meadows team crossed the halfway line for probably the second time in the match, got their own corner and somehow sneaked the brown ball into the near post of our goals, 1-2. Gaz strongly threatened to get us back on level terms stretching to hit the post when Geez the wide boy, did some sneaky wheeling, dealing on the left. Moments later their keeper found himself in no mans land and Gaz struck the ball towards their net only for it to be whipped away in the last by a Meadows’ centre back. There was plenty of space in the middle of the park. So lots of time for Macca to play through Paddy, who on his current vein of form snapped up the equaliser. 2-2.

In the second half we tracked back better and exploited the space in the middle, on the sides and up front with relish. A corner from the right was headed from the edge of the box by Paddy to Tomas who whipped in goal number 3. Another Kev corner and another goal from Gaz. Time seemed to stop still as Gaz controlled the ball, wiped it down, polished it, lined it up and spanked it in the Meadows net, 4-2. Frustrations spilled out of a pile of Richmond hand bags which found themselves spread across the pitch. Ben, who refereed the full game, reminded all that the daycare squabbles were very naughty and if the bickering didn’t stop there’d be no more kraken for anyone. But the Meadows just couldn’t deal with our driving runs into their box, particularly Ed who ghosted past players time and time again. The Meadows had lost their defensive sense and two defenders ten pin bowled Tomas over for the most obvious penalty shout, immediately given. Although Gaz was on a potential hat trick, you only turn 50 once so Kev the birthday boy was lined up to take a goal. He whacked it in the left corner of the net only for Ben to demand it be retaken. Ben hadn’t blown his whistle before the ball was struck. Kev went again and this time their keeper got finger tips to it but the goal crept in anyways. “Ya owe me a beer later!” Kev shouted over to Ben.

So a good second half performance again, 5-2 final result. Maybe we should do shots of espresso next time up so we start with a good level of endeavour. It was great to see Daz watching from the side lines after his season ending injury a couple of weeks back. We look forward to having Zane and Ben back from their injuries soon. Kev’s birthday balloon may have flown away at the end but we’re back on track and we build from here.

Match Report by Peter Batty.