18 April 2026
- Apr 20
- 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:
Women's Premiership: Sprig + Fern Tahuna Womens XI Masters Football: Sprig + Fern Tahuna Masters
1st XI 2-1 Golden Bay Mountain Goats
Location: Tahunanui S1
Goals: Izaak Cunningham, Will Denbigh
Match MVP: Will Denbigh Tahuna made it a win at home, edging out Golden Bay Mountain Goats 2–1 in a hard-fought battle. The hosts started sharply and were rewarded early on. A drilled ball across the box from Ethan found Will, who made no mistake to give Tahuna the lead.
The early pressure set the tone, with Tahuna looking dangerous going forward. Golden Bay hit back in style, though — their striker somehow wriggled through four challenges before unleashing a strike from outside the box into the bottom corner. One to learn from… probably worth putting a foot in next time, lads. The away side picked up a couple of yellows as the game got heated, before halftime oranges gave everyone a chance to reset.
Tahuna came out strong in the second half, moving the ball well and consistently finding runners in the channels. A disciplined defensive structure and relentless work rate kept Golden Bay from finding another breakthrough. The winner came courtesy of Cunny, who absolutely leathered a piledriver from the edge of the box. It flew through a crowd of bodies and into the net — no saving that one.
Man of the Match goes to Will for his early goal, tireless midfield effort, and a smart tactical yellow. A special mention as well to Van Roland, who impressed on his Tahuna debut and pushed close for the honours. Dick of the Day goes to Franco, who somehow decided crawling was the best option when through on goal. Questions will be asked.
Full-time: 2–1. Unbeaten. Six60 in the showers after — doesn’t get much better. Match report by Joe
2nd XI 2-1 FC Nelson Locomotive
Location: Tahunanui S1
Goals: Ross Smith, Jonny Lewis
Match MVP: Adam
Tahuna secured a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Loco in wet, slippery conditions that made control and passing a real challenge throughout the match. Tahuna came out firing in the first half, adapting well to the rain and taking a deserved 2–0 lead into halftime. The opener came from Ross, the captain and centre-back — who once again showed his striker instincts haven’t retired, no doubt reminding anyone within earshot of his past (and future) up front.
The second goal was an instant-impact moment from Jonny, who scored with his very first touch after coming off the bench — a sharp, clinical finish that doubled the lead and gave Tahuna real momentum. Loco came out much stronger in the second half after what must have been an effective team talk. They controlled more of the play, pulled a goal back, and applied consistent pressure, but Tahuna’s defence held firm to see out the win.
Man of the Match: Adam – exceptional in defence, leading from the back and standing tall under sustained second-half pressure. Honourable Mention: Dan – electric in the first half on the right wing, causing constant problems for the Loco full back and defence with his pace and direct running. DOD: Blessings – in a field that had multiple strong contenders, only one could truly rise above the rest… a miss so bad even the eye of Sauron didn’t see it coming. Blessings claimed the title.
Final Score: Tahuna 2 – 1 Loco A strong first-half performance and resilient defending sealed the result, with Tahuna doing just enough to hold off a much-improved Loco side after the break.
Match report by Blessings
3rd XI 3-0 Richmond Thistle
Location: Jubilee Park Goals: Stefano, Sayha, Stu
Match MVP: Tom Dunn
After a week of reflection and some intense fitness training Tahuna 3rds made their way down to Jubilee Park to take on Richmond Thistle with both sides looking to get their first respective wins of the season.
With Nelson Bays Football not looking to start a region wide riot from all clubs due to a bit of rain, the game went ahead in fantastic footballing conditions!!
Tahuna got away with a scare in the first 30 seconds of the kickoff as Richmond managed to get a break only for the LW to scuff his attempt due to the wet conditions, an easy clear up for Tom Dunn. Tahuna then woke up and immediately set to work to grind down a Thistle side boasting a very youthful squad. It didn't take long for Tahuna to show they meant business as some brilliant inter play between Stefano and Wayne saw them release Sayha only for him to scuff his shot due to conditions, an easy claim for the Richmond keeper.
Some subs from both teams saw the inclusion of Luke and Panith from the Tahuna side, comments from the sidelines as to Luke's positioning were quickly shutdown with the Brazilian threading a beautiful ball out to Stefano who angled a low cross into the path of Sayha, luckily the Richmond CB was on hand to close him down to prevent a goal. The remainder of first half was very much end to end with Tahuna having a plethora of shots compared to Richmond having trouble getting past Oli Creed and Matty Knight in the centre of defence. The former making some massive headers to clear away. Sobi, fresh from becoming a daddy was causing all sorts of trouble in the middle of the park alongside captain Will Simpson. The first half drew to a close with the scores locked at 0-0.
After some positive words from returning coach Stu, Tahuna came back out for the restart ready to go back in for another 45mins of 110%.
It took Tahuna just 10mins to get their first after some brilliant passing saw Stefano opening his goal scoring account with a neat finish.
Straight from the restart Richmond attacked but it seemed Tom Dunn was channeling his inner Manuel Neuer as he was stopping everything that came close.
Tahuna knew a second goal would deflate a hungry Thistle side who were starting to find their flow with numerous attacks being shutdown by Tom, and what a second goal it was with Ryan flicking to Oli who aimed a perfect pass right through the middle into the path of Wayne who unselfishly cut back for Sayha to bury it from 10 yards out. 2-0 and you could see the heads drop from the Richmond side. Tahuna now had their cushion as the clock ticked into the dreaded last 15mins. The fitness training midweek certainly paid dividends as the back 4 would not let anything past them, Rhys Black making some solid tackles when needed. With 10mins to go Tahuna made some final subs with Sobi and Sayha coming off for Will and Stu.
As the final whistle approached Tahuna looked to break and seal the win as Panith hurtled in from the left into the box only to be chopped down by the last man. Referee immediately pointing to the spot for a penalty. With Sobi and Sayha both off as the recognised penalty takers, Stu took the responsibility and without hesitation dispatched the spot kick into the keepers top left. 3-0 and the game was dead and buried.
The final whistle went and Tahuna 3rds recorded a well fought win in a game that could have gone either way. Massive props to Tom Dunn for back to back man of the match displays.
Next up for the 3rds is a trip to Botanics to face FC Nelson Locomotive in what is sure to be a cracking game of football.
Match report by Stu
4th XI 2-2 Richmond Brockies
Location: Jubilee Park
Goals: Jed, Adam
Match MVP: Johnny
The heavy rain was made a lot more cosy thanks to Richmond’s sparkly new changing sheds. Conditions settled as the whistle for kick off blew by none other than the legend himself - Justin Smith. We also welcomed Ralph and Luke to the starting line up for their first game with this current iteration of the 4ths.
Tahuna made a very strong start. Controlling the midfield and dominating in the air. A defensive masterclass from Luke, Brad, Alex and Sam kept Richmond at bay. No one was beating Alex down the line today. A few peppers at goal, mostly from Jed, to no avail. Until eventually a wonderful play out from defence, then to Mike, then to Adam who played a short square pass into Jed who finally scored his first goal for the club, shooting high over the keepers head to make it 1-0. Not long after, a messi-esque pass from Josh from deep in midfield played Adam in on goal, with only the right-back to wrestle with. He won the battle and slotted the ball in the bottom right.
2-0, what could go wrong!? One word for you: Rhino. Within the space of 5 minutes, he was played through and his blistering pace combined with his lethal finishing quickly made the game 2-2. First half whistle blew - heads still high. Second half was not without loads of action. It feels like teams say this a lot, but genuinely Tahuna was mightily on top, more shots than a stag-do in Vegas, more corners than a car dealership, and a higher xG than fuel prices.
Worth noting that Richmond was awarded a penalty, but big ups to Richmond for being honest and saying no foul. True sportsmanship and the club is very grateful for that. Brads heroic defending left him injured with about 25 mins left with a nasty knee-on-knee collision, having to be carried from the field. Zach slotted into CB, big boots to fill but was more than up for the challenge helping ensure Richmond stayed goalless. Josh also had to be carried from the field after going down but was on his feet by the time the final whistle went.
Overall great competitive and friendly game. Coach Cole was happy with the point. Man of the match was Johnny for his superb second half contribution in LB.
Match report by Adam and Zach
TFC Womens XI 0-4 Richmond Foxes
Location: Tahunanui S2
Goals:
Match MVP: Vi
A wet and miserable day saw our Tahuna women’s team take on the Richmond foxes for the first game of the season. We knew it would be tough given the Foxes history but we went in confident and ready! With new players Roxy & Nikayla ready to make a name for themselves at club Tahuna.
Roxy staring as striker as golden boot Ruby has decided to retire to midfield this year (we’ll see how long that lasts) unfortunately we were caught short the first 2 minutes of the game when the foxes striker went speeding down the side and smashed an absolute banger of a goal in from outside the box. 1-0 down. This didn’t break us and we continued on like nothing had happened dominating the first half with multiple plays through our midfielders Jess Aimee Sophie and Bailey but sadly falling short of the goal.
1-0 at half time. Richmond's coach even commended us for our first half stating we had full control the entire first half. Second half saw Ruby back up front along side Roxy (retirement didn't last long) but unfortunately the Foxes stayed strong and we couldn’t manage to break through their defence. The foxes plan was to slot the ball over top of our defenders up to their strikers but when it became clear they weren’t getting any air balls past center backs Emily and Bec’s a switch up in their midfield saw them play low and fast balls, the rain and slippery ground didn’t help too….they were able to gain a few more goals on us. Finishing the game at 4-0 our women’s team couldn’t help but be pleased with outcome and hope this score will scare a few other teams and remind them that Tahuna is strong!!
A standout performance came from our goalkeeper, Vi, who played an outstanding game and was deservedly named Player of the Match. Vi made several crucial saves without her the score would’ve been very different. It was a competitive but friendly match, played in good spirit by both sides. While the result didn’t go our way, our overall performance showed strong teamwork, determination, and consistency that we can build on moving forward!
Match report by Ruby
TFC Masters - 4 -2
Location: Tahunanui s3
Goals: Paddy, Goody (2), OG
Match MVP: Macca
Masters Thankfully Nelson City Council groundsmen overslept on Saturday morning so despite the drizzly conditions, our grounds remained open and the game was well and truly on! Fresh from a 4-0 home defeat, the Wakefield boys turned up just before kick-off. Not sure if some had lost their way but they could only muster 11, so the Tahuna bench found themselves running lines on both sides – a good way to keep warm! Everyone else was left huddling beneath the Tahuna marquee.
We took control of possession early. It was clear from the outset Wakefield planned to pack the midfield, so we played to our strengths and attacked down the wings. An early foray resulted in a left-hand corner. I aimed for the penalty box, but the corner skidded off the grass by the near post. A Wakefield defender tried to clear it but sliced it instead, a backwards volley into his own goal – whoopsie daisy – 1-0 Tahuna. And we pushed on. The ever-slippery Paddy stretched Wakefield right, Goody bouldering down the middle. Paddy’s cross came in. It may have hit their defender, it may have hit Goody, either way the Wakefield keeper allowed the ball to slip through his soggy goalie gloves for a second soft goal, easy as you like 2-0.
Wakefield knew they had to start putting some shots in. The wet, gusty weather meant the ball was hard to play. A strong out of the box shot was well saved at first by Ollie, pushing the ball up with outstretched hands. It looked like he’d cleared it above the crossbar, but it dropped with the wind agonisingly short into our net, 2-1. Ollie was called into action shortly after. A Wakefield forward had got into the box and stuck a solid effort which Ollie had to make a reaction save to, to prevent an equaliser.
We were glad of the half time whistle, but maybe we were missing Ben’s half time jellies, cos our sugar levels looked low early in the second half, Wakefield coming at us again and again. It was mostly shots from out of the box; they rely heavily on their midfield marksmen. I managed to get a couple of good crosses into first Kev and then Goody, but both chances came to nothing. We needed a big man, a Big Mac, a Mac attack a Mac daddy! Yup Macca rose up and took control of the midfield. A sweetly struck shot from the Mac-man rattled the Wakefield crossbar. Shortly after Ed broke through the aging Wakefield defensive line, he was 1 on 1 with their keeper but took the shot early and drilled it to the left of the goals. Paddy pushed down the line and set up Goody again who tried to curl it into the corner but again just astray of the goals. A promising Ed, Kev combo was snuffed out at the last too. Wakefield had efforts but they were mostly confined to out of the box – Cam and Gwyn were particularly strong dousing down any forward momentum. Ollie did a spectacular dive for the cameras at one point. The effort was probably spilling wide. A more functional Ollie power punch followed when the corner cross threatened his box. Paddy fed Goody with a beautiful through ball but unfortunately Goody pretty much tripped over it, so that chance went begging too. It’s often that final control and shot which costs us. Gaz had seen enough of the spilled chances. He bullied and bulldozed everyone as he fought his way through the box. Falling at the last, Paddy took Gaz’s baton and clipped the footy over their keeper, 3-1 Tahuna. It looked like Wakefield were done. But then suddenly they shocked our defence with a thrilling run down the left side and sweetly fired strafe, 3-2 Tahuna.
We needed to lock this game down. Cam created a clear opening for Gaz from his well crossed free kick. Gaz aimed for the top corner but the Wakefield keeper was well placed and jumped high to collect the effort. Kev was enjoying his outing on the right wing. As if he’d just heard the last orders bell, he became a man possessed going past everyone, taking it to the by line and whipping if back for Goody to take a striker’s volley into the goal, 4-2 Tahuna. Paddy was close to adding a 5th when he went 1 on 1 too but in the end Goody pretty much sat on the ball, took the ball to the corner flag, subbed himself off and on again, anything to run the time down and secure our 2nd game, 2nd win. We like the mud Nelson Council, keep us playing guys, as we’re scrapping our way up the table. Match Report by Pete B
Comments