The Waitakere United Sentinel
Market9 Nov 2026
Cameron De Vries asks to leave Waitakere United
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Cameron De Vries, 17, plays like he has been here for years — 7.69
A mark of 7.69 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 17-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Waitakere United
Nathan Garrow and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The terraces9 Nov 2026
Waitakere United supporters have found a favourite in Cameron De Vries
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 17-year-old it feels ownership of. Cameron De Vries has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Match7 Nov 2026
Cameron De Vries the difference as Waitakere United beat Canterbury United
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Cameron De Vries. 1‑0 against Canterbury United, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Nathan Garrow
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Liberato Smith was unplayable
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Liberato Lockyer kept it short after the 1‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Waitakere United
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alex Cacace was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
In brief
- The dugout Alex Van Hattum knocks on the manager’s door
- Looking ahead The leaders are next for Waitakere United
- Market Tommy Sutton told to find a new club