Onerahi were pushed all the way to their final game by second-placed Kerikeri, but the girls in yellow and blue proved too good in the end. Photo / Supplied
Onerahi were pushed all the way to their final game by second-placed Kerikeri, but the girls in yellow and blue proved too good in the end. Photo / Supplied
It's taken 16 games but Onerahi's premier women's football team have confirmed their second title win in two years in Northland's top women's competition.
With a 2-nil win over Madhatters at William Fraser Park on Friday night, Onerahi forged an unattainable five-point lead over Kerikeri, who have a game in hand. It was the last complete round of the competition, with either one or two catch-up games for Kerikeri, Kamo, Bay Cosmos, Central Brown and Kaitaia United.
Onerahi captain Emily Boom opened the scoring on Friday after about half an hour of play before Ashlee Hodgins doubled their lead with about 15 minutes left in the game.
The team's attacking prowess proved the difference this season with 82 goals scored (compared with about 50 from last season) mainly through three goal-scorers who all netted around 20 each. Onerahi conceded only 12 goals this season.
However, coming off a tough cup semifinal loss to Kerikeri the week before, coach Grant Short knew the win was never assured.
"It was hard because you don't want to put too much pressure on them and everyone was still a little bit down from the weekend before when we lost the semifinal," Short said.
"They knew they had to win and we just needed to stick to what we've done all year, stick to our processes and systems, and they did that."
Short said he was impressed by his team's attacking threat and defensive stability against a potent Madhatters team, who finished fourth this season.
He credited a few young players for performing well in their first season at the premier level and hoped the team's second title would be one of many going forward.
Short will have little time to relax this week as he focuses on his role as coach of the Onerahi premier men's team who will take on Tikipunga's division one team in the Stafford Choat Cup final on Saturday at 3pm at Semenoff Stadium.
Short, who played in three cup finals and coached three more, has never won the cup but will have a chance for revenge this weekend. Tikipunga's division one team are the cup holders after they beat Onerahi in last year's final.
The final of the Northland women's premier cup will also be played at Semenoff Stadium, between Kerikeri and Madhatters at 1pm on Sunday.
Other results in the Northland premier women's league competition last weekend saw Tikipunga beat Central Brown, 2-1, Kerikeri beat Bay Cosmos, 2-nil, and Bream Bay beat Kaitaia, 4-nil.
In the men's league competition, Onerahi beat Madhatters, 10-1.
It was cause for celebration across Northland's football clubs last weekend as Northland FC's first men's team narrowly escaped relegation in a do-or-die game against Franklin United in Auckland on Saturday.
Northland FC's men's reserve team celebrate with their league trophy after a tough 3-2 win over Franklin United reserves on Saturday. Photo / Supplied
The first team had one of their more convincing wins with a 4-1 scoreline. The Northland FC reserves also tasted success on Saturday as they confirmed their Lotto NRFL second division reserve league win with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against the Franklin United reserves.
One of either first teams (Northland or Franklin) were destined for relegation depending on Saturday's result.
In a season which Northland have struggled to score goals and close out games, the floodgates opened for the boys in blue who netted four through a brace from Brett Plant and goals from Johnny Fletcher and Mark Prowse.
Northland FC coach Owen Liiv said the result showed ultimate character from his team, which had been in the relegation zone for much of the season.
"We definitely deserved to win, I don't think that we're a team that should be in the bottom three of the league, results just haven't gone our way this year," he said.
"To keep it in our own hands and do to it in that fashion, relegating another team on the last day of season, it was pretty crazy."
Liiv confessed he only thought about being relegated once (the night before the game) and said he would have been devastated had the team been relegated after the great support shown by Northland's football community.
"I've had so many messages of support from so many people around Northland this past week and it shows how much it means to people."
Liiv commended the efforts of both the firsts and reserves, which acted more as one squad rather than two separate teams.
