Green Island up for big title game

For some of Green Island’s players it will be the biggest game of their lives to date.

A one-off showdown for the South Island title looms at Sunnyvale Park tomorrow.

In Green Island’s way is Cashmere Technical, the unbeaten Mainland Premier League champion, which has a record of 19 wins and one draw.

It is a team littered with stars and national league talent.

Included in that are former Southern United players Garbhan Coughlan and Jordan Spain, as well as the likes of George King, Luke Tongue and Tom Schwarz.

In contrast Green Island’s experience at the next level is minimal.

But that did not matter as it won its first 11 games to nab the Southern Premier League title.

While it has fallen away since clinching that, coach Shane Carvell said the side had been working hard this week to rediscover its winning ways.

There had been an element of struggling to get up mentally, having already won the title.

Injuries had become a factor as well.

Its players were getting back on field though, and motivation should not be a problem tomorrow.

"It’s something that does bring a lot of excitement," Carvell said.

"Probably sort of analysing it, it’s a bit of a David and Goliath battle, we’d go into it as an underdog.

"We’ve got no illusions to the enormity of the task, Cashmere Tech over the last few seasons have been the yardstick of South Island football."

However, there were still plenty of threats in the Green Island side.

The likes of Matt Brazier and Eddie Wilkinson have drawn plenty of praise.

But as a team it has been a slick unit.

Carvell said that the effort of the group would not be lacking.

Being in a game like this was a big deal for the club — the title win was its first in over 30 years and this was an extension of that.

Hosting Cashmere Tech in front of its home fans would be a significant occasion.

"They do have a lot of heart and spirit," Carvell said of his team.

"Come Saturday in front of our own supporters and I guess also representing the Football South region, they’ll certainly put in a strong credible performance.

"They’ll be up for the fight, they know it’s going to be a fight ... They’ll dig in and I think it’ll be that heart and that spirit that will drive them."

Cashmere Tech won the trophy three in a row times — between 2013 and 2015.

The past two years, when it was replaced by the South Island league, it won in 2018 and finished second to Nelson Suburbs last year.

 

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