Work hard, play hard: Napier City Rovers recruit’s strong balance on and off pitch
Footballer Adam Hewson is making the most of his shift north to Napier. He spoke to Neil Reid.
Juggling work and top-level domestic football commitments – the latter while being classified as an amateur player – is all part of a day’s work for Adam Hewson.
A new recruit for Napier City Rovers for the 2024 season, the 25-year-old is like the majority of his teammates in holding down a fulltime job five days a week, then training three times a week during the increasingly chilly autumn nights under Park Island’s floodlights.
Add to that, every second week the team then meet up early Friday evening at Napier City Rovers’ clubrooms before driving down to the capital for Central League clashes against Wellington-based opposition.
This weekend, that sees them play North Wellington in the capital.
Hewson and his teammates have to play as amateurs under New Zealand Football’s regulations for the Northern, Central and Southern Leagues; the trio of regional leagues that are battling it out for spots in the 10-strong National League.
For the clubs that abide by the rules, it means players can only receive a maximum $150-a-game payment.
The left winger said the balancing act of work and football - that featured long days and travel demands - wasn’t hard to stomach given the positive culture and “comradeship” amongst his new team.
“Some people don’t think of it as training because you’re coming to hang out with your good mates,” Hewson said.
“For me, it’s easy. I get up and go to work. I love my job.
“And then coming here is just as easy, getting around the lads and I love the training.
“I enjoy my job. It’s good to have a good football and work-life balance, for me [football] it’s a good hobby I’ve got.”
Hewson turned in another impressive performance in Napier City Rovers’ dramatic 2-1 win over Petone last Sunday.
A feature of his play this year has been his direct – and quick - running with the ball and great delivery to his teammates in goal-scoring positions.
He did that again on Sunday at Bluewater Stadium in a victory sealed in the 95th minute by Sam Lack with a strike from the edge of Petone’s penalty box.
The Bill Robertson-coached team opened the scoring in the 43rd minute via Oscar Faulds – the leader of the Central League’s Golden Boot ladder with 12 goals – before Petone looked to have drawn the match with a goal to Jack O’Connor four minutes into added time.
A minute later, substitute Lack – who has impressed all season either in the starting XI or off the bench – struck to secure his side a sixth win on the trot.
Earlier in the first half, Napier City Rovers goalkeeper William Tonning pulled off a brilliant penalty save; his second of the season and one of several crucial saves in a man-of-the-match performance.
Forward Jonny McNamara also put in another industrious performance, continuing his strong start to the 2024 Central League.
McNamara is a player who combines well with Hewson both on and off the football pitch.
“I work at Reece Plumbing, I sell plumbing supplies,” Hewson said.
“And he’s a plumber, so I sell him plumbing supplies. Every morning he comes in, gets his coffee, gets his plumbing supplies and then goes for the day. I probably see him three or four times a day.”
The pair’s banter at training is comically brutal.
Hewson said it was a friendship he enjoyed, with the pair’s infectious personalities coming together “for the good” of the duo and also those around them.
Hewson signed on with Napier City Rovers after several seasons with Dunedin side Green Island, including impressing in the Southern League.
He switched to Napier City Rovers for a change of scenery, having enjoyed previous trips to Napier to play at Bluewater Stadium.
He was also able to secure a job transfer with Reece Plumbing.
Hewson said Napier City Rovers was a good “family club”, just like Green Island.
But he had welcomed the increased level of competition across the Central League – as opposed to the Southern League, which is dominated by two Christchurch clubs.
“Dunedin doesn’t have a lot of a footballing mindset compared to what Christchurch does,” he said.
“Christchurch has got a lot more people, a lot more talent, and you can kind of see that with the top two teams in the Southern League... [in Dunedin] getting numbers to training was always difficult, sometimes you would only have five or six [players].”
It wasn’t just the football he was enjoying since his move north.
He was a big fan of Hawke’s Bay weather and had also found several good fishing spots.
Earlier in his career, Hewson spent the 2019-20 season in the Wellington Phoenix Reserves set-up.
He said it was an “awesome” experience, including the chance to see the way the club’s A-League team operated.
At the time a teenager, he said it was also a reality check into how competitive it was for young players wanting to make the step up.
“As much as you’re trying to create an environment with your mates, at the end of the day, they’re people you’re competing for spots with... that’s probably [what] the hardest part is,” Hewson said.
“Whether or not it’s your mate, he’s also keeping you out of the team.”
Hewson’s goal for 2024 – like his new teammates – is crystal clear; challenging for the Central League title and in the process securing qualification for New Zealand Football’s National League, to be played later this year.
“I think the lads we’ve got here this year can really do it,” Hewson said of the Central League hopes.
“Qualifying for the National League is a key part of why I came up here as well.”
Watch the Inside the Rovers video series:
Episode One: Back to Work
Episode Two: The Darkest Days
Episode Three: Skin Deep
Episode Four: Good as Gould
Episode Five: The Hard Yards
Episode Six: Leaving a Legacy
Episode Seven: Fun and Games
Episode Eight: Game Day
Episode Nine: The Great Dane
Episode 10: Back-to-Back
Episode 11: Long Road Back
Episode 12: Total Commitment
Episode 13: The Bravest Boy
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.