Making Waves - The Pacific Premier [S52]
Join OrangeStar as he previews all eight teams in Oceania's top flight for the season ahead. Who will rock the boat, and who will be the one making waves this season? It's all about to go down in the land of the Great Slug, with Season 52 kicking off on January 22nd. Let's get started!
**Teams Previewed in this article: Hewish FC (417981), Pauldo Bay United (76710), Cotchin FC (77671), Mascot Musketeers (37502)**
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Hello and welcome to this special supplementary edition of The Oceanian! OrangeStar here, and we are just over a week away from the start of another season in the most beautiful of all the HT-Nations, Oceania! While the World Cup comes to a close, the National Team Manager Elections are around the corner and Hattrick International has brought some managers a third team, this week we take some time to look at what is really important - the Pacific Premier.
| Hewish FC (417981) |
|---|
| Manager | dave3889 (5862692) |
| Region | Victoria |
| Established | 1st February 2007 |
| Stadium | Zambora Memorial Stadium (80,621) |
| Pacific Premier Seasons | 9 |
| Pacific Premier Titles | 2 (S49, S51) |
| Oceania Cup Titles | 0 |
| Best Cup Finish | Final (S50) |
| Team TSI | 2,999,180 |
| Wage | $1,091,016 |
| International Experience | NT: 2, U20: 5, HM: 13 |
| Best Player | Miikka Forsbacka (356008225) |
| 'One to Watch' | Jörgen Bohskär (373582232) |
| Transfer Activity | None |
| Key Match (S52) | vs Pauldo Bay United (Wk1) |
| Predicted Finish | 2nd |
| dave3889 won his second Pacific Premier title in three seasons when he took out the title in Season 51. This season will see him try and go for his third title in four, a feat last accomplished by Olhausen United in Season 25, 27 and 28 (Bondi 1893 won three straight in Season 38, 39 and 40; the only team to do better). However, there will be a number of strong managers standing in his way. Hewish have the oldest squad in the Pacific Premier, and with no incoming transfers, dave will need to eke the most out of his old squad and his inadequate leadership coach if he is to have any chance of going back to back. Finnish striker Miikka Forsbacka scored 12 goals for Hewish in all competitions last season, and Hewish will need him to be at his best again this season if they are to compete with the likes of Cotchin FC and Mascot Musketeers. With the Hewish fans still smarting from their crushing 7-2 loss on the final day, the key match this season for Hewish is if they can get some revenge on Pauldo Bay United on opening day. A loss first up will put them on the back foot and leave them chasing the game - a position where dave will not want to be. |
| Pauldo Bay United (76710) |
|---|
| Manager | Paul_G (345879) |
| Region | New South Wales |
| Established | 25th April 2003 |
| Stadium | St Pauldo's Park (95,800) |
| Pacific Premier Seasons | 2 |
| Pacific Premier Titles | 0 (Best: 2nd S51) |
| Oceania Cup Titles | 1 (S51) |
| Best Cup Finish | Winner (S51) |
| Team TSI | 2,778,880 |
| Wage | $1,009,832 |
| International Experience | NT: 149, U20: 60, HM: 0 |
| Best Player | Ernest Tatupu (347501265) |
| 'One to Watch' | Kereama 'Creamy' Naikelekele (370247145) |
| Transfer Activity | IN: $15m, OUT:$14.3m |
| Key Match (S52) | vs Cotchin FC (Wk4) |
| Predicted Finish | 4th |
| Paul_G is a stalwart of the game, and has recently hit his stride, taking out the Oceanic Cup and second place in the Pacific Premier last season. At the core of his squad is a number of highly skilled Oceanic players, including the Golden Boot winner Ernest Tatupu. 30-year-old Kereama Naikelekele found some great form in the Cup last season, scoring 9 goals over the course of the competition. If these two can kick on in Season 52, Pauldo should finish higher than expected. With only 14 true players in the current squad of 26, Paul will find himself limited when it comes to tactical options and the TSI gap to some of the other contenders may prove too much to overcome, even with the impressive TS management options a solid leadership coach offers. The key game for Pauldo Bay United will be their matchup with Cotchin FC early in the season. If they are serious about their championship challenge, Paul will need to pick up a win at home against one of the strongest sides in the nation; victory could be the turning point the team needs to go on a run and take a shot at the title again. |
| Cotchin FC (77671) |
|---|
| Manager | Adam_F_Duritz (8167139) |
| Region | Victoria |
| Established | 21st June 2008 |
| Stadium | Cloud Nine (73,000) |
| Pacific Premier Seasons | 10 |
| Pacific Premier Titles | 3 (S35, S37, S50) |
| Oceania Cup Titles | 0 |
| Best Cup Finish | Final (S33, S39) |
| Team TSI | 3,814,680 |
| Wage | $1,311,256 |
| International Experience | NT: 11, U20: 35, HM: 21 |
| Best Player | Dallas Pasfield (377814491) |
| 'One to Watch' | Kris Ibbotson (377964985) |
| Transfer Activity | IN: $8m, OUT: $5.1m |
| Key Match (S52) | vs Hewish FC (Mid-Season) |
| Predicted Finish | 1st |
| Adam_F_Duritz is one of the most decorated managers in recent history in Oceania. With three Pacific Premier titles across three runs in the top league, Cotchin FC are a team that are used to being successful. In fact, last season's third place finish was just the fourth time in ten seasons that Cotchin have finished outside the top two in the nation. Adam_F_Duritz's squad has the highest TSI in the league, and the home-grown technical defensive forward combination of Dallas Pasfield and Kris Ibbotson have the potential to blow the league out of the water if they fire for Cotchin this season. The mid-season double header against Hewish FC has the potential to decide the league this season, if Cotchin can take six points we would have them in the box seat to win it all. Of course, despite all the success, Cotchin have never managed to win the Oceania Cup, finishing as runner up on two separate occasions. Could Season 52 be the season? |
| Mascot Musketeers (37502) |
|---|
| Manager | roel22 (11510617) |
| Region | New South Wales |
| Established | 18th June 2011 |
| Stadium | AFC Roelers Arena (75,000) |
| Pacific Premier Seasons | 4 |
| Pacific Premier Titles | 1 (S48) |
| Oceania Cup Titles | 1 (S48) |
| Best Cup Finish | Winner (S48) |
| Team TSI | 3,385,280 |
| Wage | $1,058,824 |
| International Experience | NT: 27, U20: 1, HM: 9 |
| Best Player | Brenton Gaskarth (374816298) |
| 'One to Watch' | Nikki Saelens (390705285) |
| Transfer Activity | IN: $14.4m OUT: $0m |
| Key Match (S52) | vs top three teams (WK1-3) |
| Predicted Finish | 3rd |
| Mascot Musketeers are shaping up to be real threats in the Pacific Premier this season. After four seasons in the top flight, the average age of roel's squad is hovering around 30, and the team still has a lot of potential to do great things. Since breaking into the top division after three seasons in II.3, Musketeers have not finished outside of the top 4, and have not missed the Quarter Finals of the Oceania Cup. These are incredible achievements from a bare-bones squad of just 22 players. 27-year-old Belgian technical defensive foward Nikki Saelens joined Musketeers over the off-season from recently relegated Candy, and will be looking to create an immediate impact in roel's starting 11. However, he will need to be supported by 'the gun', Brenton Gaskarth if Musketeers are to have real success this season. Roel will need to have his squad firing on all cylinders coming into the new season, as the fourth-placed draw sees Musketeers facing Cotchin, Hewish and Pauldo Bay in the opening three weeks. As the dust settles on those games, roel will be able to assess his championship aspirations and potentially make a push for the title, but a sequence like that to open and close the season makes it hard for us to see them finishing any better than third. |
Unfortunately, that's all we have time for in this article! Stay tuned for the season preview for the remaining four teams in the Pacific Premier. Let us know who you think has what it takes to win it all this season! Is it one of the 'Top 4', or is there a dark horse somewhere, set to take the competition by storm?
2017-01-13 06:18:26,
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