OFC: There was fantastic news for Samoan goalkeeper Pasi Schwalger in Victoria this week, with the Preston Lions custodian jetting out to England for trials with Third Division outfit Southend United.
Schwalger left for Roots Hill on Tuesday and will only return to the Lions should his two-week stint in the UK be an unsuccessful one. Southend finished 17th in the Nationwide Third Division last season.
In what was perhaps his final performance for the red and yellow of Preston, Schwalger kept a clean sheet as the Lions drew 0-0 away to high flyers Bulleen Zebras on Monday evening.
The draw leaves Preston in fourth position with four rounds to play in the VPL regular season, three points away from first placed Green Gully.
Also in Victoria, Solomon Islands marksman Henry Fa’arodo was a part of Fawkner’s 1-1 draw at home to Altona Magic.
The Blues are out of contention for a finals berth in 2004 and sit in ninth place following their draw at the weekend.
In Queensland, there was little positive news to speak of for the Queensland Premier League’s pacific contingent.
Vanuatuan pair Etienne Mermer and Richard Iwai faired the best as their club Mitchelton played out a stalemate with Souths United at home on Saturday.
Iwai played the entire match with Mermer coming on as a second half substitute in a match that has seen Mitchelton slip to fifth on the QPL ladder with seven rounds remaining.
In the state capital, Solomon Islands trio Joel Konofilia, Paul Usumae and Jack Samani were again outstanding for the Brisbane Wolves as they took on QPL tyrants the Queensland Lions at home on Sunday.
Konofilia played a full match with Usumae and Samani coming off in the second stanza as the Wolves succumbed 2-0 to their much-fancied rivals.
The Wolves now sit in seventh place following their defeat and will be looking to realign their top four ambitions with a win at home against sixth placed Palm Beach next week.
Papua New Guinean midfielder Alex Davani was an absentee from Taringa Rovers’ 4-2 loss at the hands of Pine Rivers due to a knee injury that will keep the 18 year old sidelined for at least one more week.
Taringa currently lie in tenth place, precariously above the relegation zone with two months left in the QPL season.
In Queensland’s Metro 1 League, Fijian Raj Kumar was again a part of a win for the Darra Lions, this time 4-2 away to Acacia Ridge on Saturday.
The three points takes Darra 12 points clear of their nearest rivals with seven rounds remaining.
Fellow Fijian Esala Masi endured another forgettable weekend with Northern New South Wales Premier League side South Cardiff.
The Gunners 1-0 loss to top side Edgeworth Eagles stretched South Cardiff’s winless streak to sixth matches
Masi played the whole ninety minutes of a match that has all but ended South’s playoff ambitions for 2004.
With seven rounds remaining, the Gunners sit nine points outside of the top four and face a daunting away trip to second placed Hamilton Olympic next weekend. – By Benjamin Coonan (Australian Correspondent)