John Orobulu
John Orobulu is a Solomon Islands footballer who currently plays for Telekom S-League club Southern United and the Solomon Islands national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Honiara, Solomon Islands | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Southern United | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Southern United | (22) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Solomon Islands | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:23, 6 October 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:16, 15 October 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Orobulu took part in the 2022 Solomon Cup with Honiara Warriors FC. He went on to become top scorer in the competition.[1] His performance included a four-goal match against Makira-Ulawa which garnered him Man of the Match honours.[2][3] Later that year, he was a standout player in the IUMI Cup, a competition mostly for youth players which also features players from the Telekom S-League.[4] Orobulu scored at least fifteen goals as the second-best scorer in the competition.[5]
For the 2023 S-League season, Orobulu joined Southern United.[6] In the club's first match of the season, Orobulu scored a hat-trick against defending champions Solomon Warriors. It was the first hat-trick scored by any player in the new season.[7] In his first four league matches, the player scored five goals to take an early lead in the Golden Boot race.[8] To open the second half of the season, Orobulu scored a brace in a 2–1 victory over Marist. The brace increased Orobulu's goal tally to fourteen, five more than second-place Gagame Feni.[9]
International career
In July 2023, while top scorer in the S-League, Orobulu was called up to the Solomon Islands national team for the first time for a training camp.[10] The following October, head coach Felipe Vega-Arango named Orobulu as one of three new players in the senior squad that would take part in the 2023 MSG Prime Minister's Cup in New Caledonia as a preparation for the 2023 Pacific Games.[11]
Orobulu made his debut in the opening match of the tournament, an eventual 3–1 victory over Papua New Guinea on 8 October.[12]
International career statistics
- As of match played 14 October 2023.
| Solomon Islands national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 |
References
- Abana, Simon. "Malaita Eagles win fifth Solomon Cup". Solomon Islands Football Federation. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- "John Orabulu sealed 4 goals for Honiara Warriors to register first 3 points against a determined Makira Ulawa side". Solomon Islands Football Federation. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- "Day 4-Player of the Match". Solomon Islands Football Federation. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- Iroga, Robert. "Meet the man behind the IUMI Cup Championship". Solomon Business Magazine. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- Terry, Floyd. "Molea on fire". Solomon Star News. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- Abana, Simon. "FC Juniper Tree, Central Coast FC and Southern United ends first league round on a high". Solomon Islands Football Federation. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- Aruafu, Carlos. "TSL season kicks off". Solomon Star News. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- Saltori, Rafael. "Telekom S-League: Southern United's Orobulu rises as 'Golden Boot' surprise candidate". Oceania Football Center. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- Aruafu, Carlos. "Orobulu strikes again". Solomon Star News. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- "Twenty-five (25) players have been called up to join the Solomon Islands national training squad training sessions starting next week". Solomon Islands Football Federation. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- "MSG PM Cup a test preparation for Sol2023 Games". Solomon Islands Football Federation. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- "GSA profile". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
External links
- John Orobulu at Global Sports Archive