- By Regan Harrison, AUT Journalism Student
The South Auckland Rangers football side have finished second in the Northern Regional Football (NRF) League One competition for their third consecutive season.
The Rangers, who play at Rongomai Park in Flat Bush, were just four competition points behind champions Te Atatu FC, finishing on 45 points for the season.
Looking to the future, head coach Geoff Cooper and captain Pablo Yackson say the main challenge the team has faced for the past couple of seasons is the ability to retain crucial players.
Cooper returned this season to take over the role after a one-year sabbatical and describes the season as underwhelming.
“I can’t argue, I’d be disappointed, but to be honest, Te Atatū are the most consistent team, and that’s what wins the league. They deserve it.”
Regarding the team’s biggest struggles this season, Cooper says: “For the last three years – just availability. You look at Te Atatū, they’ve had a consistent team, and that’s why they’re where they are.”
He says his team has had problems with players going overseas to play in other tournaments at crucial points, and the cost it can have on the South Auckland Rangers.
It punishes them against a team like Te Atatū, which has a consistent playing XI most weeks allowing them to be more cohesive.
The Rangers side often had four to five players travel to Fiji for weeks at a time, leaving holes in their squad at crucial moments and affecting the camaraderie within the team.
“And it costs us games – we can’t field a full-strength side,” Cooper says.
“In the first game we played against Te Atatū away, we drew 3-3. We had seven players overseas.”
He says he believes the Rangers would have won that game if their players were available to be selected, which is also the case of a handful of other matches.
The team could possibly lose their captain, Yackson. Due to age, he’s unsure what his plans are past this season.
“I’m still thinking about it,” he says.
“I’m 40 years old, so it depends on how my body feels. If I can keep training during the off-season and feel good, then probably I will [keep playing].”
Yackson has experience playing at some of the highest levels of football in Uruguay.
“Back home in Uruguay, I played under-20s in my country,” he says.
“I played at a really high level.”
But he says that was a long time ago and now that he’s 40 years old, his body isn’t able to keep up with how he used to be able to perform on the field.
The South Auckland Rangers are now focused on their development with the seasons to come.
They have a strong belief they can win next season if they can find some commitment within the team. And they have a strong development programme at the club.
“We’re building a strong development program,” Cooper says.
“There are some strong 16-17 year olds we’re looking to bring into the first team next year.”
The team is building towards the future, and from what you hear around the club, they’re feeling confident.
