Delany Yaqona has been with the team for a number of years as a player but this year has taken on coaching duties.
“Our main focus for the past four weeks has been on our fitness durability which is crucial for the duration of the Champions League Preliminary,” Yaqona says.
“The players are aware that this tournament is going to be stringent and we will concentrate on taking one game at a time.”
Tupapa Maraerenga are set to go head-to-head with the club champions of Tonga, Samoa and American Samoa – Lotoha’apai United, Kiwi and Pago Youth respectively.
Up for grabs is the chance of direct entry into the group stages of Oceania’s premier club competition, the OFC Champions League.
Last year’s preliminary featured the same four clubs competing in a round robin in which the Cook Islanders were triumphant. They entered a play-off with New Caledonia side Mont Dore – but were downed 3-1 missing out on the chance to compete in the 2013 OFC Champions League.
This year, with the odds a little higher, Yaqona and his side are confident they can once again deliver on the field.
“We have a lot of experienced players on our team, players that have competed for the Cook Islands national teams,” Yaqona says.
Some of those key players include Grover Harmon and Mii Joseph, while the side has also been topped up with players like Hone Fowler and Liam Little, both of which have made it all the way through the competition to the FIFA Club World Cup with previous clubs.
“These are the players that we will lean on to guide our team during the competition,” he continues.
“The highs and lows of last year’s competition will be used to better prepare the team as all other teams will no doubt be stronger and better prepared squads also.”
No team from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga or Samoa has qualified for the latter stages of the OFC Champions League since 2001 when Lotoa’hapai, Samoa’s Titavi FC, Tupapa Maraerenga and PanSa of American Samoa participated in the OFC Club Championship in Port Moresby in 2001.
The OFC Champions League Preliminary is being hosted in American Samoa from 15-19 October. The winner will qualify for the OFC Champions League group stage which is scheduled for Fiji in April 2014.
For more on Cook Islands football go to www.cookislandsfootball.com

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