Commins_Menapi

Commins Menapi

Commins Menapi

Solomon Island footballer (1977–2017)

Commins Menapi (18 September 1977 – 18 November 2017) was a Solomon Islands football player and manager who played as a striker.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] As manager of Western United, he guided the club to their its and only Telekom S league title in the 2014–15 season.

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Club career

Menapi played for YoungHeart Manawatu in New Zealand, Sydney United of the old National Soccer League in Australia and for Marist FC, a club from the Solomon Islands.

In the 2006–2007 season, he became the first player to be sent off in a New Zealand Football Championship Grand Final with a nasty studs up kick on Auckland City defender Riki van Steeden. Van Steeden's leg was broken in the incident and Waitakere United lost the final 3–2 however, he would not be suspended for the OFC Champions League final against Ba F.C. because of the OFC and New Zealand Football being two separate organisations. Commins rejoined Solomon Islands team Marist FC[9][10] after a period spent as a free agent.

International career

Menapi represented the Solomon Islands national team on over 30 occasions, scoring a record 34 goals (including 7 against non-FIFA members). Menapi was arguably the most famous Solomon Islands footballer, after scoring twice for his country against Australia in a sensational 2–2 draw in the Oceania Nations Cup group match in 2004. The result was the only game in the competition that Australia did not win, and the result also ensured Solomon Islands' progression to the next phase at the expense of New Zealand. In that tournament, Menapi scored four goals in six games.[11] Since Australia's exit from the Oceania Football Confederation in 2006 to join Asian Football Confederation, he became the all-time leading goal scorer for the OFC until Chris Wood of New Zealand reached his record of 34 goals on the 13 October 2023 and until Roy Krishna of Fiji surpassed both of them to break the record on the 18 November 2023.[12]

Death

Menapi died in Honiara in November 2017 at the age of 40, in the early hours of the day, of undisclosed cause.[13]

Career statistics

Scores and results list Solomon Islands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Menapi goal.
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References

  1. [1]
    "Soccer: Wisdom of Solomon to help with scoring goals". The New Zealand Herald. 2 October 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  2. [2]
    "Solomons football legend Menapi remembered". rnz.co.nz.
  3. [3]
    "Tributes flow across the Pacific for Solomon Islands legend Commins Menapi". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  4. [4]
    "The life and death of Commins Menapi – Solomon Islands' greatest goalscorer".
  5. [5]
    "Menapi hunted". stuff.co.nz.
  6. [6]
    "Commins Menapi dead at 40". stuff.co.nz.
  7. [7]
    "Commins Menapi – NZ Herald article".
  8. [8]
    "Soccer boys go from rags to riches". stuff.co.nz.
  9. [9]
    Article about Solomon Islands football Archived 5 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  10. [10]
    "Menapi Said Marist Will Play Their Game". 5 March 2010.
  11. [11]
    Commins Menapi – International Goals – RSSSF
  12. [12]
    Commins Menapi – International Goals – RSSSF
  13. [13]
    "Vale Commins Menapi". 17 November 2017.
  14. [14]
    "Commins Menapi". National Football Teams.
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