The Waitakere United Sentinel
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
No sign of nerves from Stephen Walker at 21 — 8.18
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Stephen Walker did not need any: 8.18, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Real improvement from Jai Barbarouses at Waitakere United
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Jai Barbarouses is 19, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Both jobs done by Alex Tuiloma — 6.77
A midfielder is measured on whether the team functions when he is on the pitch, which is nearly impossible to see and completely obvious in retrospect. 14 actions, 6.77, and a manager who will not be substituting him again in a hurry.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
5 academy graduates step up at Waitakere 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.
The terraces19 Oct 2026
The crowd has taken to Stephen Walker
At 21 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Match17 Oct 2026
Waitakere United find a way past Team Wellington
Team Wellington made Waitakere United work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Market19 Oct 2026
One of our own: Dane Just joins the Waitakere United first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Dane Just is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market19 Oct 2026
Jai Stamatelopoulos steps up from the Waitakere United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Jai Stamatelopoulos 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
One of our own: Tommy McCowatt joins the Waitakere United first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Tommy McCowatt is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
In brief
- Market Dane Waine steps up from the Waitakere United academy
- Squad Deklan Reid in a row with a teammate
- The dugout The view from the dugout