“I was not playing in my right position”: John Orobulu explains Hekari struggles as goals return in Fiji

John Orobulu has quickly rediscovered his scoring touch in Fiji after a difficult spell in the inaugural OFC Professional League, with the Solomon Islands striker telling Oceania Football Center that being used away from his natural position was one of the factors behind his limited goal return with PNG Hekari.

The 26-year-old has been one of the most productive forwards in Fijian football over the past two seasons. After scoring 19 goals in 18 Fiji Premier League matches for Rewa in 2025, helping the Delta Tigers to the national title, Orobulu moved to PNG Hekari for the first edition of the OFC Pro League. His scoring numbers, however, dropped considerably during his time with the Papua New Guinean side.

Speaking directly to OFCe about his experience with Hekari, Orobulu first highlighted the higher intensity he encountered in the new regional competition. When asked about his reduced scoring output, however, the Solomon Islander pointed both to the collective functioning of the team and to the role he was asked to perform.

“For myself, I see it’s all about working together. The team needs to work together or help each other to score,” Orobulu told OFCe. “For worst, I’m not playing in my right position as I used to. I only play forward, not right midfielder or left midfielder, so I try my best to get to score, but it’s hard for me to score.”

His comments provide important context to a period that stands out from the rest of his recent career. Orobulu is primarily a centre-forward, and his most prolific spells have come when operating closer to goal. National Football Teams lists him as a centre-forward and records 22 league goals in 24 appearances across his two seasons with Rewa: three in six matches in 2024 before a remarkable 19 in 18 during the 2025 championship-winning campaign.

The change after leaving Hekari has been immediate. Orobulu joined Ba during the 2026 season and has already scored seven times in the Fiji Premier League despite arriving after the campaign had begun. His return to regular goals has played a major role in Ba’s successful season and further reinforces his reputation as one of the most reliable Solomon Islands goalscorers playing in the Pacific.

His success in Fiji is also not an isolated chapter. Before moving abroad, Orobulu established himself as one of the leading attacking players in the Solomon Islands domestic competition with Southern United. That form eventually opened the door to the national team and, in late 2023, he produced the most prolific international tournament of his career.

At the Pacific Games in Honiara, Orobulu finished as the competition’s top scorer with eight goals as Solomon Islands reached the final. He scored once against Samoa, five times in the 11-0 victory over American Samoa and twice against New Caledonia in the gold-medal match. The final ended 2-2 before New Caledonia prevailed on penalties, but Orobulu finished the tournament with the Golden Boot.

Those remain his eight recognised international goals for Solomon Islands. Current records credit the striker with 16 FIFA-recognised appearances and eight goals for his country, making his scoring record at international level another important part of a career largely defined by his ability inside the penalty area.

His current form also comes at an interesting moment for the national team. Orobulu was not involved in Solomon Islands’ most recent international squad, but the MSG Prime Minister’s Cup is approaching and his performances with Ba inevitably put his name back into the conversation for a potential return.

There would also be added significance to such a comeback. The striker has built a considerable part of his reputation outside Solomon Islands in Fiji, first with Rewa and now with Ba, and another national-team opportunity would come while he is once again producing goals consistently at club level.

For Orobulu, the contrast between the past several months is striking. At Hekari, he experienced the intensity of the new professional competition but was asked to operate in wider midfield roles that, by his own assessment, did not suit the game that had made him so prolific. Back in Fiji and closer to his natural position, the goals have returned.

And with Ba fighting for trophies and Solomon Islands approaching another regional tournament, Orobulu’s response to that difficult spell may ultimately be measured not by what happened in the OFC Pro League, but by what he does next.