Teams 'ready to attack' in OFC Pro League third round

OFC Pro League round three opening fixtures:

Saturday 21 February

Tahiti United v South Island United

Kick-off: 3:00pm NZT

Auckland FC v South Melbourne

Kick-off: 9:00pm NZT

Olympic Park, Melbourne

All eight teams will be in action for the third round of the OFC Pro League which begins on Saturday.

The teams have have arrived in Melbourne where matches will be held at Olympic Park and the Home of the Matildas stadium.

Tahiti United are coming into the round confident after claiming their first win the competition against Bula FC in Port Moresby earlier this month.

Tahiti's goalkeeper Jackson Gardner said the team are in high spirits ahead of the nexct round of fixtures.

"Everyone's feeling really good, really confident. It was nice to end our last circuit with a win against Bula FC," he said.

"[The win] definitely gave the group some confidence, and having seen their families and return back to Tahiti for a four-day period, was fantastic just to recharge the batteries. We're really ready to go and attack this next circuit."

Tahiti United will open round three with a match against South Island United on Saturday at 1pm (Melbourne time).

The South Island team is ranked 4th, while Tahiti sits 6th on the table.

Gardner said they are keen and eager to shake the rankings.

"I think given the talent that we have within the group, the quality we have, we have every chance of doing so," he said.

"We need to put our heads down, work hard this week and go into the game with with energy. They're a strong side, right? It won't be easy, and nothing will be given, so it's going to take a good effort, but that's definitely something that we have in our locker."

South Island United midfielder Dauntae Mariner said they are polishing up their gameplay and strategies ahead of round three.

He expects the competition will only get more intense with each round, as teams get a feel for each other on the field.

"I knew that every team that we that's in this competition was going to be tough, especially with a lot of the players that do make up the bulk of them have played in with their respective national teams as well," he said.

"I knew there wasn't going to be an easy game, and it's been proven right. Every game is a do or die, everyone wants to fight for all three points, so there's no such thing as an easy game in this league."

Mariner said he is not surprised by the talents in each team, having gone against many of the players already in national tournaments.

With Samoan and Mauritian roots, Mariner had the privilege of playing for Samoa's national team previously.

He said the sport has helped him connect to his heritage.

"100% a way of connecting to my roots, especially on my my dad's side. Both my grandparents are no longer with us anymore, so every time I get to put on that jersey and go to Samoa, I always feel a little bit closer. I almost feel like I'm at home."

He hopes to see Samoa join future instalments of the OFC Pro League.

"I think the more teams that we can get in this league from the region, it just shows that we've got a lot of quality within the Pacific region.

"If we could get a Samoan team, that'd be awesome, it'd be really cool and it'd be a big step forward for Samoan football as a whole."

Pro league 'is about development'

OFC media operations manager Matt Brown said the tournament's goal is to grow professional football in the region.

"This tournament is really about development in the Pacific Islands, which have not had professional football.

"The chance to have pathways for young players to come through, to become professional athletes, to inspire a generation of children to play the sport, to be active, and to and to have role models, that's all a big part of it."

However, he admitted that the "real benefits" are not going to be visible for "a number of years".

"But the reality is, it will be a massive growth in the sport in our region."

He is also anticipating tight competition as teams head into round three with more confidence.

"This competition is new. Some of these football clubs are new ... some teams came together a little bit later than others, so combinations are still building.

"We're seeing teams get better kind of with each match, just getting to know each other, understanding the tactics, getting their structures right, and we're seeing the standard of football rise with each round too. I expect it to be really, really competitive this weekend."

Round three starts this Saturday and runs until 4 March 15 matches in total. It will include three catch up matches which had to be postponed due to the weather in the opening round in Auckland.

The eight teams will then fly to Honiara, Solomon Islands, for round four which is expected to begin on 14 March.

Standings

Auckland FC have a four point lead over South Melbourne FC in the standings and a win for the hosts would close that gap to one.

However, the Australians are the only unbeaten team remaining in the competition with Auckland FC suffering a 3-1 upset to the Solomon Kings in their final round 2 clash in PNG.

Third and fourth place is a lot tighter with Solomon Kings and South Island United both on 8 points. The Solomon Islanders hold third place thanks to a superior goal difference.

Its the same story at fifth and six with Bula FC and Tahiti United both on five points. The Fijians again pip the Tahitians on goal difference.

Languishing at the very bottom of the table are PNG Hekari FC with only a single point to their name.