The Hawke's Bay United Courier
Squad19 Oct 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Joe McCowatt
39 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Hawke's Bay United lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Deklan Just could not have asked for more on his first appearance — 7.25
Debuts are survived rather than enjoyed. This one was enjoyed: 7.25, 0 goals, and a manager already being asked whether he starts again next week.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Real improvement from Joe Stamatelopoulos at Hawke's Bay United
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Joe Stamatelopoulos is 23, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A late step up for Timothy Shaw
At 28 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 4 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Oliver Lockyer 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 Hawke's Bay United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
Graduation day at Hawke's Bay United
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Market19 Oct 2026
One of our own: Noah Lewis joins the Hawke's Bay United first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Noah Lewis 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
One of our own: Monty Nelson joins the Hawke's Bay United first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Monty Nelson 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
Ben Smith steps up from the Hawke's Bay United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Ben Smith 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.
In brief
- Market Hawke's Bay United promote Monty Nelson from within
- Player ratings Nothing got past Dane Lockyer
- Boardroom Hawke's Bay United turn down the training-ground plan