Chris Milicich: Former All White and Football Commentator previews Round 7 of the Dettol Northern League

The Dettol Northern League heads into Round 7 with a full slate of matches taking place across the northern regions of the North Island - including Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty. 

Former All White and football commentator Chris Milicich joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to preview all the upcoming action. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildgrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
It's twenty past seven, Round seven of the Northern Football
League up and running over the weekend today and tomorrow.
Former All White and football commentator Chris Middlesex now it
joins us to look at some of these games in
fact one of my neighborhood.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
But besides that, let's get on with this. Good morning, Chris,
Good morning Darcy.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
How are you?

Speaker 3 (00:33):
I'm good, Thank you, Chris. Let's take a look at
Northern League football.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
He We've got four teams, not a draft, but at
the top of the table Auckland City, Tolanger, Eastern Suburbs
and Birkenhead. Birkenhead have got the jump on the rest
because they've had a couple of draws, not a couple
of losses, with four wins, same with those other teams.
So does that summarize accurately the state of the Northern

(00:57):
League right now?

Speaker 4 (00:59):
Yeah? It is. Don't forget. Auckland City went off shore
to the Solomons to play in the oceanic quality Thighs.

Speaker 5 (01:07):
They were forced to play a game whilst they were there,
and they've taken a couple of losses, which is very unusual.

Speaker 4 (01:14):
But I think you'll find that they're quite happy with that.

Speaker 5 (01:17):
Why is that, Chris, Mainly because they've got a massive workload.
They're going to go to the Club World Cup and
play against the like SA Bayern Munich and Boker Juniors,
et cetera. So at this time of the year they're
just trying to get everybody fit ready to go, et
cetera for a bigger event. And at the end of
the day, it's just a playoff season, so you're just

(01:38):
going to be in the top four.

Speaker 4 (01:40):
So right now they've got bigger fish to fry.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
So is that top four similar to what we've got
now Auckland City and bignd and Niason Suburbs and Toanger.

Speaker 4 (01:50):
Yeah, I think that you'll see that Uky and I
will jump up into there.

Speaker 5 (01:53):
Wouldn't surprise me if Bay Olympic and Western Springs have
a lot to do with it. Western Springs have certainly
started less competente than what most people was expecting, but
the top six or top seven of those they will
all be fighting for the top four. The biggest surprises Toronga,
but they they're a good football side. And don't forget

(02:16):
it's only been six games, so you got another five
before you end Round one and who you've played up
till date kind of.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Matters Manoray were though, Chris, they're not in a happy position, sorry,
contract at the bottom of the table. I'm giving it
the EPL relegation stuff. Well have they got Eastern suburbs
haven't they? So they've got their work cut out.

Speaker 4 (02:37):
Yeah, I don't know what's happening to Manyueva.

Speaker 5 (02:40):
They were a competent top four side, not last season,
the season before, and they've kind of just fallen away.
It's been quite a dramatic fall away. A lot of
their players have left and gone to other clubs. They'll
really want to start picking up wins, but in the
Northern League it isn't that simple. You don't get the
wins you want because everybody's trying to win, everyone's trying

(03:01):
to chase spots. There is no easy win and so
they're really going to have to change what they do
to start to pick up wins because they're going to
need to get at least fifteen to seventeen points to survive,
and that's right now, that's probably five or six wins,
which is not that simple to achieve, so they're going
to really want to make some changes shortly.

Speaker 3 (03:22):
It's so hard to the top of the table now.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
And this afternoon it's at Shepherd's Park one three o'clock
Todranger take on Burkenhead.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
That will be quite the tussle.

Speaker 5 (03:32):
Chris, Yeah, it would be a tough game, but I
think it's probably the first real challenge for both of them.
Burke and Thee did beat Auckland City, but the reality
is this will be two teams trying to be in
the top four, trying to fight for the top four.
Torongo traditionally do worse in Auckland than they do at
home because it's a bit of an interesting trip. It's

(03:54):
three and a half hours in a bus and then
you get out and play a game.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
Then you've got to come back.

Speaker 5 (03:58):
So I think that the winner of that will really
get a jump, especially if it's Burkenhead. But Torongill will
not want to lose touch for the top. They're a
good young team, but they've really recovered well when they've
lost John t bidwir to Upland FCS who was their
major goal scoring threat. So you have to say that
to be where they are with four wins and two

(04:19):
losses after the first six games and sitting currently sitting
third is a pretty good result.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Good one of my Neck of the Woods five at
thirty the Southternoon. We've got Bay Olympic who are heading
Western Springs at the moment by three points in the competition.
But that should be I'd suggest a fiercely contested fixture.

Speaker 4 (04:39):
Chris, Yeah, it will be real challenge of the styles.

Speaker 5 (04:42):
But Olympic defensively really really sound. Generally, they can score goals.
They've got Derek Tyker up front who has been a
parental goal scorer at this level and he's already right
at the top of the goal scoring charts, so he's
gonna dangerous threat the whole time. Western Springs tend to
one to keep the ball the whole time and keep

(05:02):
possession moving.

Speaker 4 (05:04):
They're probably lacking a cut edge this year compared.

Speaker 5 (05:07):
To what they were last year. They also have lost
some players into professional football and so they're really underperforming
for what everyone was expecting. But each year is a
new environment, so I think that game is going to
be really tight. Last year, if I remember right, Bay
Olympic beat them at home and lost away, so they're

(05:28):
pretty even and Bay Olympic all wanting to get another
three points to jump six points clear of Western Springs
and then be able to look forward and all.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
The fixture is mister Chris Miller sich, which one will
you be attending of an afternoon?

Speaker 5 (05:43):
I will probably go to the Bay Olympic Western Springs
game because my boys played.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
Notice, might come to I see that's in the neck
of the woods. Cool and now thanks to.

Speaker 6 (05:57):
The generosity of FIFA, they've got awesome lights there. Now
they rolled into town, didn't They gave a few a
whole lot and ignore everybody else.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Love your FEVERA.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
Fivera plass live stream of that game. There's also a
whole lot of preliminaries on today and tomorrow the Chatham
carp If you want to find out more INSID football
dot coded and seid is where you need to go.
Chris millicits form All Black, All White and football commentator
adjoining us.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
There for more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave.
Listen live to News Talk set be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.