Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson says less can be more so he gave his players last weekend off. Photo/file
Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson says less can be more so he gave his players last weekend off. Photo/file
With a week away from the competitive arena and all that mileage clocked to watch the Fifa World Cup in Russia, one had to ask the question.
"So are you blokes adopting some of the stuff from the World Cup into your coaching manuals?"
When the laughter subsided, Thirsty WhaleNapier City Rovers player/coach Bill Robertson and Building King Havelock North Wanderers counterpart Chris Greatholder offered a crisp "no" to all the theatrics and antics in their Ultra Football Central League season.
"Hopefully there won't be much of that going on on the weekend but I'm wondering if the rest of them [oppositions] are watching them as well," Robertson said.
He had no intention of adding any antics from the world's biggest team sporting stage but the irony wasn't lost on him.
He suspected there had been a shift in attitude from the World Cup officials to clamp down as the tournament progressed.
The teams didn't play last weekend because of a premature end to the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup campaigns.
Robertson said the break was timely because players were able to shake off a few niggly injuries following reports from physiotherapist Alex Gairdner.
"The players had started to feel a little fatigued so it gave us a little bit of a break," he said, giving the squad the weekend off and not making any more demands then the usual training last week.
It's a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash between leaders Blues and defending champions Advanced Electrical Western Suburbs who are sitting three points adrift from the visitors on 30 points after a dozen matches.
Suburbs, the first side to beat the Rovers 2-1 at Park Island, Napier, on April 22 have slowly worked their way up the ladder to second place for the 2.30pm kickoff at Endeavour Park, Wellington, tomorrow.
The Blues' only other loss was 1-3 away to promoted Integration Works Waterside Karori on June 2.
However, the Declan Edge-coached Suburbs have registered only one loss and drawn three matches to date.
Robertson is under no illusions about the pedigree of the hosts and believes their results reflect that.
"They have had a few indifferent results but since that they have drawn a few games and have been pretty consistent throughout."
Western Suburbs, he said, had kept honest the James Hoyle-captained Blues to ensure they kept picking up three pointers every weekend.
Robertson had noted Western Suburbs were pretty close to full strength as well as inheriting some quality players returning from American university scholarships.
"We know what to expect so it's about how we approach the game," he said. "Obviously going down there to get three points is huge in the context of the league because it's a classic six-pointer and we're looking forward to it."
Blues regular keeper Ruben Parker Hanks is the only missing player after jetting off to Spain for trials while Mackenzie Waite, of Auckland, has assumed the mantle of gloveman for the rest of the winter.
It pleased Robertson that Waite had a "big presence" and had arrived with a solid resume following a stint with Thirsty Whale Hawke's Bay United in the ISPS Handa Premiership (national league) last summer.
"He's a capable goalkeeper so that's why I pursued him and managed to get him for the remainder of the season."
Wanderers assistant co-coach Bruce Barclay (left), coach Chris Greatholder and assistant co-coach Dion Adams worked out a few combinations with an inter-squad match last weekend. Photo/file
Greatholder, whose last-placed Wanderers host Lower Hutt City at Guthrie Park in a 2pm kick off tomorrow, said the VAR stuff "has gone absolutely crazy".
"They [players] are running up to the referees and making a square motion to go upstairs to the TV," he said, reflecting on the handball ruling Argentina v Nigeria game as a classic example.
"It's still that one guy looking at whether it's a penalty or not. You can have all the replays in the world but ... oh man I couldn't believe that one."
A student of the game, Greatholder said he had adopted many principles of the modern game and added value to it in his coaching.
The World Cup had made his job easier as a focal point for his players to use snippets to illustrate situations the villagers had been in during the season.
Havelock North are trying to avoid relegation in their debut Central League season after responding to an SOS from the organisers in the 11th hour when Team Taranaki withdrew.
They used the previous weekend off for a team-building exercise following an inter-squad match among the 22 players.
"Some of our fringe squad players desperately needed minutes while we gave two or three of our boys a rest because they have been going at it whole season," he said, happy to have got the time to allow them to recover from niggly injuries.
The Wanderers lost 5-2 to Lower Hutt in Wellington in April.
Greatholder reiterated majority of their points would come at Guthrie Park because of the rigorous travel factor.
They are relishing more home games in the second half of the winter so turning them into three-point earners will be imperative because Waterside Karori sit above them on equal nine points but boast a better goal difference.
Lower Hutt sit three points above them, one above Wairarapa United, in seventh position on the 10-team table.
"We just have to go with the mind set that we can win the game so if we do that a couple more times we should be safe."
First-choice goalkeeper Nick Hayward, who had broken a bone in his foot during the 6-2 victory over Wairarapa United here, returns to the squad after looking sharp at training.
Greatholder welcomed the headache of selecting a starting XI from a healthy squad because that was the intention as a club.
However, the player/coach is still a few weeks away from returning to the paddock following concussion.
"I've got the hunger back ... and I'd like to play again before the season is out," he said.
