The Waitakere United Sentinel
Market17 Aug 2026
Hawke's Bay United come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Waitakere United did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Waitakere United
Joel Obi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Joe De Vries falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Callum McCowatt stays put
“The easiest signature of my career.” Callum McCowatt and Waitakere United agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Clayton Van Hattum gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market17 Aug 2026
Cameron Smith is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Waitakere United has been clear about where Cameron Smith stands, which is more than many ever get.
In brief
- Market Waitakere United put Marco Smith up for sale
- Market Stefan Barbarouses goes looking for football