30 May 2026
- Jun 1
- 13 min read
Division 1: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 1st XI Division 2: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 2nd XI 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: Takaka Rec Ground
Goals: Nick, James
Match MVP: Jepo
You may have thought that taking a strong team of 'top of the league' beach boys over the hill to play the bottom of the table would make for an easy game...it was not.
The boys got together in a hire bus and we're driven over the 'Big hill' in style, coffee on the way along with a healthy dose of pies and wraps... Unbeknownst to them Gary Calderbank (Golden Bay Coach) was already revving his team up in a battle to lift them off the bottom of the table. He chargers did not disappoint.
Even though the beach boys took an early lead through the hard pressing and finishing of Nick the Soul Surfer and a well taken penalty from James (I wanna be Captain but will settle for vice captain) Owen the battles from the Bay took the rest of the game to the beach boys. Wave after wave of attacks finally ended in Tahuna conceding an own goal which made for a thrilling final 20 minutes of the match, which the die hard defensive shape of the Tuna boys held firm to win and maintain their unbeaten run. Standouts were a first start for Thangaa who always looked dangerous, the midfield graft from Vann and Luc, but it was the Tahuna defence which proved once again hard to beat with Captain Jepo taking the MVP award.
A couple of tasty beers and healthy kebab saw the boys arrive back to the beach 3 points in the bag. Match report by Dave
2nd XI 1 - 0 Richmond Thistle
Location: Tahunanui S1
Goals: Ross
Match MVP: Will Matthews
In the first game of the second round Richmond thistle travelled to KFC park to get some credit back after a hard fought first round without a point. The away team bought a strong line up and put some good passages of play together through the middle, and really looked as though they were in the game.
A free kick followed by a brilliant header from Cpt Ross was disallowed with a dubious ??? ….‘I couldn’t tell’.. from the Richmond sideline official. Play continued goalless and shortly after a well delivered corner was sent towards the keeper who coughed up the pill and Ross pounced and pushed it home from a yard out. 1-0
After half time Tahuna mounted more pressure and aimed to play the ball wide and make the Reds chase and defend. To their credit, Richmond didn’t concede again in the second half and made many good counterattacks looking ever promising apart from the final pass.
Finishes on target being well taken care of by Will Matthews, who had the entire first half to learn how to catch the slippery round nugget. - Well done Will, some one said you were feeling a few nerves, but none of it showed as safe hands prevailed. Impressive step in, under injury to keep the blue campaign alive. Well deserved MVP to our versatile front man in gloves.
Special mention to Joe W in the midfield with an injury- relentless and working like 3 men on and off the ball. Goal - Ross 1 Clean sheet - Will in goal (100% save rate ) golden glove nominee- (Spurs are on hold on line 1) MVP - Will Matthews. Onwards to the Botanics to face Loco this Saturday - get your soft ground boots out, Winter is here. Let’s go !
Match report by Dan
3rd XI 1 - 1 Suburbs Reserves
Location: Saxton Field Goals: Will
Match MVP: Ollie Creed
A great day for football as Tahuna 3rds took a trip down the road to Saxton S2 to take on Nelson Suburbs 2nd XI in a game the 3rds were hoping to get a result from. Could a training session alongside the 2nds earlier in the week show promise? Tahuna were without Eric Louis due to an injury so the 4ths stumped up a gift in the form of big Lukey Nev for his 3rd game of the season for the 3rds (Cheers again 4ths and Luke)
We won't talk about the previous result from this game as the lads were locked in prior to kickoff, boasting 2 subs and the 3rd man Makita radio blasting tunes to set the tone for what was to come.
Tahuna kicked off playing a 4-3-3 (I know right) and immediately set about breaking down the more youthful Suburbs squad whose average age was probably 17. The midfield 3 of Sobi, Will and Stefano started linking the play up to the forward line of Stu, Wayne and Sayha. A number of chances at both ends in the first 15mins, something was different as Tahuna were alert, communicating and getting stuck into every single challenge!
At the back, the dominating presence of Ollie Creed and Lukey Nev was making life very difficult for the Suburbs forwards as there was a severe unfair height advantage for Tahuna. Tom Dunn making save after save as Tahuna were the more dominant across the park, save for the speediness of the Suburbs lads. A quick change up top at about 25mins as Stu came off for Binh, who immediately set Wayne loose with a cracking pass, unfortunately Wayne sent it straight at the keeper.
Tahuna were looking really good as they made life a living hell for a Suburbs team who just wanted to pass it into the net, not long before half time Suburbs got a lucky break from a throw in, up stepped Rhys Black to absolutely bury the cross straight into the roof of the net, Tom Dunn rooted to the spot, had that been up the other end it would have been one hell of a goal. Alas.... 1-0 to Suburbs as the ref blew for half time 5mins later.
Halftime team talk was incredibly positive as Tahuna knew they were still very much in this game, some choice words about using the dark arts and physicality inbetween banter about Rhys's incredible strike.
Suburbs kicked off hoping to replicate the score line they had gotten in the previous meeting between the 2 teams.... Not today! Sobi began dancing through players and sending Sayha on probing runs through the Suburbs backline, Stefano was an absolute monster in the midfield, Will was rocksteady flicking the ball in every which direction as Suburbs were left scratching their heads as to where this energy was coming from!
Tahuna were by all accounts dominating everywhere for the first 20mins of the half. (no sleepy lapses at all!) And they were rewarded as Binh sent a corner in only for a Suburbs player to handball it in the box! Ref pointed to the spot! Sobi slammed the ball into Will's chest with the look of "You are going to take this and you will bury this".
The captain duly stepped up, sent the keeper the wrong way and smashed it into the middle left! 1-1! The home fans stunned into silence.
Suburbs came back at Tahuna but the lads had other ideas, Rhys making amends for the earlier goal and chopping people down left, right and centre. Stu then came back on for Binh and Stefano came off for big Ryan. Suburbs tried to get through but Fraser was continually making it very difficult for them, numerous times he'd steal the ball and send it up to Wayne to put Suburbs on the back foot. Ryan took it upon himself to get surrounded by 3 players and managed to dance through each challenge and lay it off to Rhys that had even the home fans applauding. The dark arts came into play as one of the smallest Suburbs lads thought he could shoulder charge Rhys, lad was left in a heap on the floor...
Sobi then required subbing off, something about lack of sleep playing a part supposedly. On came Binh as Tahuna tried and tried to get a winner, Wayne, Stu and Sayha all coming close. Remember the little lad who shoulder charged Rhys? He got sinbinned for talking back to the ref with 20mins to go. Could Tahuna take advantage? The short answer was no. They had their chances, just couldn't get that last bit over the line. Up the other end Suburbs got a corner in the dying embers, ball came in... 2 Suburbs players lost their markers at the back... 1 managed to head it towards goal... Tom Dunn inexplicably managed to get a hand onto and parry it straight through the middle of the 2 players.
Ref blew the whistle for fulltime, Tahuna didn't care as they had managed to get a result for the first time in a while! A well fought result and by all accounts, Tahuna could have even won it! Will settle for a point against a team that convincingly beat them 7-4 in the first game of the season.
Too early to speak of a resurgence but a lot of promising things seen. Next up Richmond Thistle at home on S2.
Match report by Stu
4th XI 4 - 0 FC Nelson
Location: Tahunanui S2
Goals: Keris, Ryan (3)
Match MVP: Kyle
Lovely day on S2, Me n Mike helped out with the kids footy in the morning (thanks Mike). Dunno about Mike but that set me up for the day. The team arrived on time to set up the pitch (we didn't have to because Kev and the juniors set it up for their game). We did try to re-set the far goal but one end's still a foot higher than the other, Hmmmm if only we had someone who works for the council on our team. Never mind I'll bring a wee spade next time and bed it in properly.
So first things first, our very own Harry Kane arrived for his last game before his, 'Stars in his eyes, karaoke, let's start a Spurs supporters club in Walsall world tour. The lads had had a whip round and we bought him a Totttt, a Tottten....I can't say it without choking...we got him a hoodie. Then we gave him a guard of honour to walk onto the pitch. Very touching only spoiled by me having to interview him pre-kick off. Anyway great send off for an entertaining young man and we all wish him safe travels.
The game more or less went to plan, usual tactics, play with a smile, 4-3-3. We took our time scoring (Ryan) and finished the half 1-0 up. In the second half we got down to the business of finishing them off, and Ryan put another 2 past them (hat-trick boy) and as in all good fairy tales Harry Kane scored the last, 4-0.
Kyle got Man of the Match for breaking their plays in the mid field (great job) before they could do anything. It was good to have a chance to try out some new tactics.....so I went 3 at the back and 4 up front for the last 10 mins...I think that's when Harry Kane scored. The lads took to it like a duck to water. So an all round top performance, clean sheet (great job Iggy) and another 3 points which puts us in 3rd spot with 3 games to go before the split.
So it's back to hard work, keeping it simple and playing with a smile. Thanks to Zach and Taylor for stepping up to ref. Great job folks, see you on Weds, I'll try to do a bit of 1 on 1 and finishing practice.... yeah we can always get a bit sharper
Match report by Cole
TFC Womens XI 5 - 0 FC Nelson
Location: Tahunanui S2
Goals: Ruby (5)
Match MVP: Jess Tahuna Women’s XI’s match against FC Nelson started like any other Saturday afternoon, with the team arriving early to get kitted up and catch up on the week. With 16 players ready to take the field, it was the perfect opportunity for a team photo.
Zach had the camera in hand and everyone was smiling when Nik casually announced, “Ruby is pregnant.” The smiles continued, assuming it was just a joke to get everyone laughing for the photo. But after the news was repeated a second and then a third time, the team realised it was very much real. The moment quickly turned into cheers, hugs, and congratulations for Ruby.
With the exciting news came the bittersweet realisation that this would be Ruby’s last game for a while, as she turns her focus to the next generation of footballers.
A special thank you also goes to Jenna, Michelle, and Bonnie, who stepped in to support FC Nelson, who were a little light on players. After the pre-match excitement, Tahuna had one clear objective: feed Ruby the ball and help her score.
From the first whistle, Tahuna were focused on the task, although FC Nelson put up a strong defensive effort and applied good pressure. The game moved back and forth in the opening stages before Tahuna found the breakthrough in the 15th minute. Jess sent a great ball down the right wing to Roxy, who ran the line and delivered a solid chip across the box for Ruby to finish.
Bailey, Grace, and Sophie worked tirelessly in midfield, clocking up plenty of kilometres with constant running and chasing to keep FC Nelson at bay.
Sophie then showed a touch of magic, weaving through the middle before sending Ruby in, who chipped the ball past the keeper for her second. Ruby was not done there. She took a strong run through the middle and calmly slotted the ball to the right of the goal, completing her hat-trick before half-time and sending Tahuna into the break 3–0 up.
The second half began with the welcome return of Hannah into the defensive line. Her performance was true to form, and you would never have guessed it was her first game of the season. Roxy continued to be solid in midfield, and during one of her many runs she played the ball across to Ruby, who struck from around 18 yards and found the top of the goal.
To finish the scoring, Ruby ended her incredible run with a surprising strike from outside the 18-yard box. The ball sailed skyward before dropping perfectly, just an inch under the crossbar, and into the goal.
Jess, who had been convinced to get her boots on and play another game, put in an outstanding performance. Her great runs, support play, and contribution across the field earned her Player of the Day. However, her earlier indecisiveness of “I’m out, I’m in” also earned her the duck for the week.
At the final whistle, Tahuna had achieved their goal, with all five goals scored by Ruby in a memorable 5–0 win.
Today also marked Nik’s last game, although this week she was cheering from the sidelines as a supporter. We wish Nik a speedy recovery and thank her for everything she has given to the team.
A huge thank you from us all to both Ruby and Nik for the effort, commitment, and passion they have shown, as well as the exciting displays of football performance and expertise they have brought to the field. Their contributions have been greatly appreciated by the whole team.
Match report by Cris
TFC Masters 2 - 3 Richmond Bogans
Location: Jubilee Park
Goals: Kev, Diego
Match MVP: Kev
We were all feeling battered and bruised from last week's epic encounter against Nelson Suburbs. The lads said they were still prepared. But our goalie hadn't even brought his boots. Thankfully Ben found a loose pair at the book fair, so we were on for a game after all. Ollie said we could all be confident in his goal box clearances now. Gaz replied with something that can't be printed on a public webpage.
After Macca put us through our warmup paces, we donned the crisply cut S1 Jubilee Park pitch. We ventured up front early. Diego took on a volley effort from one of the first corners. He's done spectacular before, but not this time. In reply Richmond managed to get into our box far too simply. Ben tackled inside the box, but the clearance landed to a Bogan attacker who slotted it away, 1-0 Richmond.
Suddenly we were looking very fragile. The Bogans were at it again with the ball wrestling between players inside our box. The ball was rolling inevitably to our goal line. Ollie flung himself with desperation onto the footy. He just got two mittens on it before a Richmond attacker popped it out of his hands and into the goal. The ref took his time but correctly disallowed the goal, as 2 sets of goalie prints were still on the ball.
Me and Paddy had a couple of runs through the Bogan's defensive lines. My shot went wide; Paddy's went over. That would be a recurring theme for the rest of the match. The Bogans on the other hand were making the most of their chances. A corner from the right dribbled through our defence and crawled on-in from the recently departed far post. It was an agonising second, 2-0 Bogans.
Richmond were striding through our midfield way too easily. From the right a Bogan's shot-come-cross ricocheted off a defender. Ollie pulled out a smart save to his left at short notice. Ed went on a mazy run through the middle and tried to play through Paddy. The pass was good, but the Bogans were just a bit sharper. They're a team well-honed at defending their home try line. Up front the Bogans were going at it from all distances too. A hopeful shot spun into Ollie's hands, and then duly spun out of his hands, behind him and courtesy of an onrushing Bogan into our goal for their third. 3-0 Richmond. This was self-destruction on another level.
The half time gummies tasted a little sour after that mess. We were all hoping for words of wisdom but were left debating whether a milk bottle sweet is one of the best options in a party mix.
Second half, we started with more endeavour. Paddy did some magic on the right wing and put a beaut of a ball over the defence, just in front of their back post. Diego was rushing in, just a few yards out, he can't miss! But unfortunately, he did, the ball shinning off his leg just wide of the post. Kev was pushing our midfield through and feeling generous. He fed Paddy in on goal 3 or 4 times in a row. The ball went over the crossbar or just wide on every occasion. If we'd got a goal then, it would have been game on for sure.
Woody came on and battled hard to make a difference. It was good to see some battle from our team, but time was starting to run out. Paddy got the message and pushed through 2 or 3 defenders to break into the Bogan's box. He was slammed with a rugby tackle take out. Penalty to Tahuna. Kev continued his no-nonsense game play and spanked it in the bottom left corner, 3-1 Bogans.
The Bogan's felt the heat as we were really driving towards a second and a potential draw. And finally, the second arrived. A corner from Kev whipped into the box and an onrushing header from Diego. Gorgeous work! Game on! Or it might have been if the final whistle hadn't blown 15 seconds later. The spectators shook their heads and ordered their Hazys Match Report by Pete B
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