Marked for Jake Cacace
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad9 Nov 2026
Cameron Nelson damages knee ligaments — 17 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 17 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market9 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Winston Just 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.
Match7 Nov 2026
3 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words at WaiBOP United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jake Cacace is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match7 Nov 2026
0‑2 to Auckland City, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Tim Fenton after 0‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Market9 Nov 2026
No place for Jake Kirwan in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Jake Kirwan has his answer from WaiBOP United; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jake Kirwan, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Oct 2026
Cameron Nelson damages knee ligaments — 31 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 31 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Jake Cacace 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.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match24 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Marco Waine and WaiBOP United agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
“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.
Loan watch26 Oct 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at WaiBOP United, and 1 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑1 Tim Fenton left the room before anybody could ask which.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Noah Payne 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.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad19 Oct 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Cameron Nelson
38 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. WaiBOP United lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad19 Oct 2026
10 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Kosta Tuiloma 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.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
5 academy graduates step up at WaiBOP United
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at WaiBOP United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jake Cacace is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market19 Oct 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Marco Cacace has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market19 Oct 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Noah Payne has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market19 Oct 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Marco Waine has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market19 Oct 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Francis Barbarouses has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Oct 2026
Cameron Nelson damages knee ligaments — 53 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 53 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market5 Oct 2026
Cameron Bell hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what WaiBOP United can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Winston Just 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Sep 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Cameron Nelson
60 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. WaiBOP United lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market28 Sep 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at WaiBOP United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Sep 2026
The step up is real for Dane Kirwan
At 21 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Winston Just in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at WaiBOP United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jake Cacace was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Loan watch28 Sep 2026
“I watch every WaiBOP United game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Team Wellington runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Sep 2026
Cameron Nelson damages knee ligaments — 74 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 74 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
No thanks: Sam Just rejects the move
WaiBOP United had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Waitakere United, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
WaiBOP United asked and Waitakere United said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Sep 2026
81 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. WaiBOP United lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market7 Sep 2026
Cameron Bell hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what WaiBOP United can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
WaiBOP United close the window on a squad of their own making
0 in and 2 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Waitakere United is saying, and nobody at WaiBOP United is enjoying the guessing.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Waitakere United have kept their man, and WaiBOP United go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Jake Cacace 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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
WaiBOP United will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Squad7 Sep 2026
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
Jai Reid 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Aug 2026
96 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. WaiBOP United lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market24 Aug 2026
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Cameron Bell had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Market24 Aug 2026
“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.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Kosta Tuiloma 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.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
WaiBOP United asked and Auckland City said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Jake Cacace 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.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matt Barbarouses, and the manager let it.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Roberto Garrido trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
The manager comes out for Jake Cacace
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Jake Cacace has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 Aug 2026
The offer from Canterbury United for Cameron Bell was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
The deal with Canterbury United is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Winston Just 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.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
WaiBOP United asked and Macarthur FC said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words at WaiBOP United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jake Cacace is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Deklan Waine, and the manager let it.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Marco Waine and WaiBOP United agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
Marco Waine knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at WaiBOP United, and both men came out saying it was fine.