BUSY TRAVELLERS: Sam Mason-Smith (left) and Alex Palezevic put in the kilometres to play for Hawke's Bay United. PHOTO/PAUL TAYLOR
IF points were allocated for travelling commitments in the Stirling Sports Premiership Hawke's Bay United would be just about guaranteed a final berth.
Two of the biggest travellers are striker Sam Mason-Smith and midfielder Alex Palezevic who are both second-season players for Thirsty Whale Hawke's Bay United who will attempt to maintain their unbeaten run when they take on Eastern Suburbs in a round two fixture at Auckland's Bill McKinlay Park tomorrow.
Mason-Smith, 25, is Masterton-based along with Cory Chettleburgh and Joshua Hill where they work for the Paul Ifill Coaching Academy. They travel to the Bay every Thursday and return at the end of the weekend.
"I'm pretty used to it. During the winter I commuted from Masterton to Wellington to play for Olympic and during the summer the three of us share the load. Obviously the drives are easier after a win," Mason-Smith said.
In his fifth year playing in New Zealand, Mason-Smith, who hails from Cambridge, East Anglia, north of London, is hoping to help the Brett Angell-coached Bay outfit go a step further than last year's semifinal finish. He believed they are slightly ahead of where they were at the same time last year.
At the same time Mason-Smith was full of respect for Suburbs.
"They are back in the national league after a lengthy absence and have a bit of money and coin. As a result they have plenty of current or former All Whites. In saying that now is probably a good time to get them because they have yet to have the togetherness we have got."
Nineteen-year-old Palezevic played for Hawke's Bay United during the 2014-'15 season and missed last summer's campaign with a broken foot. It wasn't uncommon for him to bus to the Bay each week when he was a year 13 student at Onslow College in Wellington.
This season the Kiwi-born son of Serb immigrants who is a first-year communications student at Massey University in the capital drives to the Bay each week. Although this week he stayed in the Bay and in between trainings put in plenty of study for exams which begin next week.
"We've got a new bunch of boys compared with my first season here. Everyone is bonding very well and it's a compact squad. We had a very good start with our 3-1 win against Waitakere, scoring three goals in the first half. This week we have to maintain that first half effort for the full 90."
"We know Suburbs have some good players. We have to do our job and if we do we will have another three points ... it comes down to who is better prepared on the day," Palezevic added.
This match is one of the most significant in the history of Eastern Suburbs as it is their first outing on home soil since their halcyon days in the old national league during the 1970s. Coach Malcolm McPherson will be hoping for a display befitting of such an occasion.
"It's our first home game of the season so we're looking forward to it. Hopefully, we'll have a reasonable crowd to come and watch us with plenty of support for the team. We've got an idea of how Hawke's Bay played on the weekend and they got a good result against Waitakere. They started the game really well and are a really fluid side by the sounds of it. We know it will be a tough game because Brett has done an unbelievable job there for the last couple of years and they'll be really well organised. They've got some players who can hurt you so we're going to have to be on our game," McPherson said.
Angell was just as diplomatic as his Suburbs counterpart.
"It's going to be a party atmosphere because it's 37 years since they took part in a home game in the national league. The whole club, which I believe is something like two or three thousand members, are going to be there to enjoy the day. The atmosphere will be red hot but we will go there with the confidence gained from getting our first three points on the board. I think Eastern Suburbs have the dynamics and individual talent to create issues if we allow them the time and space to do that. They've got some international experience in their squad which we need to be aware of."
Both teams:
Eastern Suburbs: 12. Silvio Rodic (GK), 3. Finn Cochran, 5. Luke Adams, 6. Mario Ilich, 7. Tim Payne, 8. Moses Dyer, 9. Sean Lovemore, 10. Sam Burfoot, 11. Armin Pasagic, 14. Andrew Blake, 16. Anthony Hobbs, 18. Tristan Prattley, 20. Derek Tieku, 25. Zac Speedy (GK), 29. Emmanuel Ekpo, 36. Fabien Kurimata
Coach: Malcolm McPherson.
Hawke's Bay United: 1. Joshua Hill (GK), 2. Sean Liddicoat, 3. Kohei Matsumoto, 8. Finlay Milne, 5. Matthew Whatley, 6. Alex Palezevic, 9. Facundo Barbero, 10. Sam Mason-Smith, 11. Saul Halpin, 12. Ross Willox, 14. Martin Canales Ramos, 17. Fergus Neil, 18. Lewis Tiller, 19. Nile Walwyn, 20. Mathew Pledger, 26. Ruben Parker (GK)
Coach: Brett Angell.