Sam Lack’s name has been a regular sight on the scoresheet for Napier City Rovers this year.
Halfway through the Central League, Lack has slotted home seven goals; six in the Central League and then a crucial goal in his side’s recent second-round Chatham Cup win over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves.
One of the questions for the Bill Robertson-coached team in the lead-up to the 2025 season was who was going to step up and lead the way in terms of scoring, after last year’s leading scorer Oscar Faulds took up a professional contract in Luxembourg.
Lack – aged 20 and one of the youngest players in the team – has firmly taken on the challenge.
“I’m feeling pretty confident this year,” Lack – a member of the Napier City Rovers’ first team since 2021 – said.
“I lacked some confidence over the last couple of years, but this year I’m feeling much better and obviously scoring goals, so that feels good. Hopefully I can just keep ticking them over.”
The sight of a joyous Lack goalscoring celebration has been welcomed by his teammates and the side’s fans this season.
Watching on as the ball beat an opposition goalkeeper was a “good feeling”, he said.
“You’re helping a team and scoring a goal for yourself; it’s very good.”
To date, his favourite goal this year was the one he scored in the knockout Chatham Cup competition against the Wellington Phoenix Reserves.
“It was a tight game and we were up 2-1. It was getting to the later stages of the game. I think it was in the 70th minute,” Lack recalled.
“I scored to make it 3-1, so obviously that’s an important goal.”
Lack didn’t score in his side’s outstanding 3-0 win over Miramar Rangers in their third-round win in the Chatham Cup last Saturday.
But his presence was felt across the pitch as he continued his strong form this season.
The trio of goals in the win came via George Andrew, Eric Kostandini Ziu and Ethan Spencer; the latter a stunning solo effort where the 17-year-old got possession on his side of halfway, turning defender Timothy Fenton inside out twice, before hammering the ball home.
At the other end of the pitch, Harry Townsend had an outstanding performance in goal for Napier City Rovers while keeping Rangers Miramar scoreless. That included a trio of saves in quick succession during an attack Miramar launched into his side’s penalty area in the first half.
On Friday, the side takes on Wellington-based team North Wellington in the capital.
Lack has been a match-day regular for Napier City Rovers since he was 16.
In 2022, he scored his club’s first goal in their return to New Zealand Football’s National League after a 20-year absence. A competition restructure had meant for the majority of that two-decade period, the top-tier domestic programme in the Hawke’s Bay region was represented by the now-defunct Hawke’s Bay United.
The past two years have seen the speed of his development as a player progress rapidly.
A big part of that was down to the benefit of increased gym training; gaining muscle and size which, combined with his skilful feet, had increased his threat to opposition defences.
“When I first joined, I was very skinny,” he said.
“Over the last couple of years, especially, I’ve decided to go to the gym. I’ve developed quite muscly, put on a little bit of size, which has been a good help for my football.”
Mentally, he has also developed in terms of what to do when the pressure really comes on.
He said experienced teammates such as captain Jim Hoyle, Liam Schofield and Stephen Hoyle – also the side’s assistant coach – had helped hugely in his development as a player.
“I was like a young boy coming in here and Jim and Scoff [Schofield] were very helpful,” Lack said.
“Scoff and I are quite similar because we use our left foot and he’s quite small. I’ve learned a lot from him.
“And over the last year, Stephen Hoyle has helped with my development a lot.”
While not long out of his teens, Lack is also no stranger to helping even younger groups of players, being a regular coach at Napier City Rovers school holiday football camps.
He is also features as a resource coach at Albion Coaching; a Hawke’s Bay-based football coaching school headed by Chris Greatholder and Stephen Hoyle that offers training to all levels of players.
Lack is employed as a teacher aide.
He previously worked as an ice truck driver along with teammate Cameron Emerson.
Like so many other talented young players, he would love to one day become a fulltime professional and have football pay his wage.
He had a sniff at it before Auckland FC’s debut season in the A-League, spending three days on trial at the club.
It was his first taste of being in a fully professional football environment.
“But on my last day I was a bit unfortunate because I had to pull out of the [trial] game because my shin started playing up,” he said.
“It was quite rough timing, but also a good experience [to have been around an A-League club] at the same time.”
He would love another crack at fulfilling his pro football dream.
In taking the strides he has this season – including being his side’s top scorer – means he’s doing all he can to try to have that dream realised.
“This year, I’ve obviously scoring more, so hopefully that’s putting me out there more,” Lack said.
>> Inside the Rovers video series:
Episode 1: Match Fit
Episode 2: Teen’s Dream
Episode 3: New Beginnings
Episode 4: For Keeps
Episode 5: Kiwi Steve
Episode 6: Capital Punishment
Episode 7: Bouncing back
Episode 8: The Centurion
Episode 9: The Running Man
Epsiode 10: Family Pride
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.
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