Hard-nosed defender Nathan Cooksley will skipper Wairarapa United when they kick off their 2012 central league football campaign with a match against early competition favourites Olympic in Wellington on Sunday.
Cooksley's elevation to the captaincy role follows a hugely impressive 2011 season when he was named Wairarapa United's Players' Playerof the Year by his teammates and coach Phil Keinzley is confident it will be a popular choice.
"Nathan is one of those guys who will lead by example, he sets high standards for himself and I am sure he will do that for others as well," Keinzley said.
"He's a fighter by nature, he doesn't know how to quit.".
Keinzley believes Cooksley's promotion will also have a beneficial effect on Adam Cowan, who led Wairarapa United to the Chatham Cup title last year as well as third in the central league.
He said the decision to have Cooksley as skipper was "very definitely" no reflection on Cowan, rather it was simply a case of freeing Cowan up to focus on his own game. "It will be good for Adam not to have worry so much about what is happening around him."
With the team for the Olympic match only coming together this week, Keinzley organised trainings for Tuesday, Wednesday and last night and while he admits the scant preparation is not ideal he has been pleased with the progress made.
"The energy levels have been really high, everybody understands we are behind the eight ball and that we have to work extra hard to make up for lost time."
Knowing Olympic will look to come hard at Wairarapa United from the word go, Keinzley has devised a tactical plan which will see his team fight fire with fire.
They too will adopt an assertive approach in the hope star strikers Seule Soromon and newcomer Paul Ryder can find the target early in the piece and have Olympic on the back foot.
For that to happen, Wairarapa United will need to dominate the midfield and with players of the calibre of Carl Shailer, Pita Rabo, Aaron Spierling, Cowan and Dale Higham that is a challenge they are capable of meeting.
"The midfield battle is the key, we have to make every post a winner there," Keinzley said.
The United defence will also need to be up to scratch with Cooksley teaming up with Pablo Moya and James Oxtoby and Richard Gillespie in goal.
