Commins Menapi (18 September 1977 – 18 November 2017) was a Solomon Islands football player and manager who played as a striker. As manager of Western United, he guided the club to their first and only Telekom S league title in the 2014–15 season.

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 after a period spent as a free agent.

International career

Menapi represented the Solomon Islands national team on 37 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. 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.

Death

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

Career statistics

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

List of international goals scored by Commins Menapi
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
121 June 2000Stade Pater, Papeete, TahitiCook Islands2–05–12000 OFC Nations Cup
228 June 2000Stade Pater, Papeete, TahitiVanuatu1–12–12000 OFC Nations Cup
34 June 2001North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New ZealandCook Islands2–19–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification
45–1
56–1
68 June 2001North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New ZealandVanuatu2–17–22002 FIFA World Cup qualification
76–2
87 July 2002North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New ZealandTahiti2–12–32002 OFC Nations Cup
914 June 2003Sir John Guise Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea5–35–3Friendly
105–3
111 July 2003ANZ National Stadium, Suva, FijiVanuatu1–22–22003 South Pacific Games
122–2
133 July 2003ANZ National Stadium, Suva, FijiKiribati2–07–02003 South Pacific Games
143–0
154–0
165–0
176–0
185 July 2003Ratu Cakobau Park, Nausori, FijiTuvalu2–04–02003 South Pacific Games
194–0
207 July 2003Churchill Park, Lautoka, FijiFiji1–21–22003 South Pacific Games
213 April 2004Korman Stadium, Port Vila, VanuatuVanuatu1–12–1Friendly
222–1
236 April 2004Korman Stadium, Port Vila, VanuatuVanuatu2–12–1Friendly
242 June 2004Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, AustraliaTahiti2–04–02004 OFC Nations Cup
254–0
266 June 2004Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, AustraliaAustralia1–02–22004 OFC Nations Cup
272–2
2825 August 2007National Soccer Stadium, Apia, SamoaAmerican Samoa3–012–12007 South Pacific Games
294–0
308–1
319–1
3227 August 2007National Soccer Stadium, Apia, SamoaTonga1–04–02007 South Pacific Games
332–0
345 September 2007National Soccer Stadium, Apia, SamoaNew Caledonia2–12–32007 South Pacific Games

Honours

Solomon Islands

External links

  • at National-Football-Teams.com
  • 9 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine – Waitakere club website