The bad start of Malaita Kingz in Telekom S-League

Telekom S-League resumed this month with the promise of being the best season in the history of the competition – and expectations are being met so far. With the live broadcast of all league matches, football fans from Solomon Islands are having the opportunity to enjoy the local league and get to know the players better.

While Henderson Eels and Solomon Warriors must fight for the title once again, newcomers Central Coast FC, Honiara City FC and Southern United have showed that they are going to be competitive sides in the league. On the other hand, Malaita Kingz – a very traditional team – did not have a good start in the league.

After finishing the past season in the fifth position, Malaita Kingz lost important players: Edward Huniuehu – who scored 15 goals for Malaita Kingz in the last Telekom S-League season – left the team to join Isabel United as William Komasi joined newcomers Central Coast FC. Benji Toata and Sammy Aurara joined Real Kakamora while Emmanuel Simon, Michael Foster and Nigel Dabinyaba returned to Papua New Guinea.

With the departure of so many important players, Malaita Kingz needed to bet on young players like midfielder Frank Kabui and forward Bradley Irosaea while some other experieced players like Charlie Otainao have the missionn to lead the team. Despite having talented players, the lack of organization is being a huge problem for the team: “We have been failing to meet our responsibilities inside the pitch. Discipline is more important than talent,” said Malaita’s head coach Michael Alafa.

The team’s situation got even worse after the 5-1 loss to Honiara City last weekend: “It was a very bad game. We had a good start, but things went wrong after conceding the first goal,” stated Alafa. Kingz are now in the last position with three losses in three matches – a terrible start for them.

Alafa and his players will have to work hard if they really want to fight for something in the league. Malaita’s next challenge of the season will be against current league champions Solomon Warriors on Sunday – a very difficult test for them. You can check the current league standings by clicking here.