TeleChoice Championship Series Preview

The Sharks and Wolves were separated only by goal difference at the end of the regular season, with Sutherland enjoying one win and a draw from the two meetings between the sides.
Sunday afternoon?s proposition provides a mouthwatering prospect as the most consistent sides do battle at Seymour Shaw.
Sutherland Sharks? season has been remarkable with a convincing display of skill, strength and team-spirit. Despite their impressive displays, a late slip-up in the season proper almost cost Brian Brown?s men the Premiership as the hungry Wolves stormed into the Championship Series with an unbeaten run stretching back to Round 13.
John Turner has made-do without the services of Michael West with a serious spleen injury and Osagie Ederaro?s absence for the latter part of the season.
The Wolves? shining light in this campaign has been Ilija Prenzoski, and as was required of him last week, the talented striker found the back of the net twice against Sydney Olympic ? his match-winner arriving in the final moments of the 3-2 win.
Sutherland Sharks will be the fresher of the two sides following their weekend off, though the Premiers will need to be wary of the threat persented by Prenzoski, and Ballamadou Conde out of midfield.
Sharks? boss Brian Brown will again look to the quick ball movement from defence into attack as his side attempts to cap off a remarkable campaign with a Grand-Final win.
Brown will be without Pedj Bojic in defence, following the defender?s move to A-League side Central Coast Mariners, meanwhile captain George Souris remains a doubt following the serious ankle strain sustained in the Round 22 clash against the Wolves.
The Sharks? strengths will lie with the incursions of Michael Katz and Jim Bakis from the wider areas, meanwhile the strength of Neil Jablonski and creativeness of Nick Stavroulakis will be called upon in-order to ?feed? front-man Brad Boardman ? the Sharks? main ?goal getter? this season.
For the winning side, a spot in the September 7 Grand-Final at Penrith?s CUA Stadium will be the just reward, meanwhile the loser will have to sweat it out with the winner of the Minor semi-final between Sydney Olympic and Manly United.
The Belmore Sports Ground clash pairs two sides that have had contrasting fortunes in the run into the TeleChoice Premier League Championship Series. Sydney Olympic has had a marvellous second part of the season, though the Tiger Turf Cup Final loss seems to have taken some shine away from the Blues approach.
Sydney Olympic will need to recover quickly following the disappointment of squandering a 2-1 lead with 6? minutes remaining against Wollongong FC last weekend, a task coach        Milan Blagojevic will have to solve without one of his most influential players this season; Shannon Cole.
Once more, Matthew Mayora will carry the weight of expectation in the attacking third as Jordanian International Siraj Al-Tall should have some input following his goal against the Wolves last weekend.
For Manly United, an indifferent run into the play-offs took a morale boosting turn for the better last weekend when Phil Moss? men scored a hard-fought 2-1 win against Sydney United.
Craig Midgley was the hero on that evening with his double strike for Manly United, though equally important was the influence of last season?s Gold Medal winner Robbie Cattanach after entering the fray at the start of the second-half.
Cattanach has struggled for confidence in-front of goal, though his partnering Midgley in attack served Manly United well with an inspiring win.
The loser of the Minor semi-final encounter will see their season come to an end as elimination football is the theme on Sunday at Belmore.
With home ground advantage a certain ?plus? for the Blues, Milan Blagojevic?s men enter the encounter with a slight advantage over their opponents.
TeleChoice Championship Series
Major Semi Final
Sutherland Sharks v Wollongong FC at 3:00pm
Sunday 24th August 2008 at Seymour Shaw Park
Minor Semi Final
Sydney Olympic v Manly United FC at 3:00pm
Sunday 24th August 2008 at Belmore Sports Ground
-By Joseph Carlucci