Division One Youth League Grand Finals Preview

U?13?S Gladesville Ryde Magic v Sydney University
Gladesville Ryde Magic are the Premiers and they won the competition by a margin of six points despite their last match against Rockdale City Suns being washed out. They had only recorded one loss all season and had amassed an incredible thirteen game undefeated streak before the final series. Their good formed continued and they were victorious in the major semi final against Sydney University 1 ? 0 to take a direct route to the grand finals.
Sydney University were placed third after they drew 0 – 0 with Mt Druitt Town Rangers in the last round. They too had a good lead up to the final series going five games without being defeated and were looking to establish themselves early in the preliminary semi final, and did just that with a 1 ? 0 win over Camden Tigers. The major semi final was a different story though and they went down to the Premiers in a tight match 1 ? 0. To their credit they re-gathered and put on a brilliant display of team work against Fraser Park winning 3 ? 0 and booking their place in the final with another showdown against Galdesville Ryde Magic.
In head to head action during the competition their first meeting finished 5 ? 1 to Gladesville and the second game saw them get the better of Sydney University again, this time in a tougher match ending     1 ? 0.
Grade 14?S Blacktown Spartans v Camden Tigers
Blacktown Spartans claimed the Premiership by a margin of five points after they produced a 3 – 0 victory over Stanmore Hawks in the final round. They were coming off the back of a five game winning streak in which they scored thirteen goals and conceded only two. They entered the final series full of confidence and had a hard fought victory over Fraser Park in the major semi final going into extra time to get the 2 ? 1 win.
Camden Tigers had a different road to the finals. They finished fifth thanks to a 2 – 0 result over Hakoah but had an indifferent end to the season losing three out of their last six matches. This meant that they had to do things the hard way in the final series. They started off well with a 4 ? 0 victory over Mt Druitt in the elimination semi final, followed by a gritty win over Hurstville City in extra time 1 ? 0 in the minor semi final. The preliminary final was the last hurdle and was presented by Fraser Park which culminated in a superb game of football with Camden Tigers victorious 1 ? 0 to earn their spot in the grand finals.
Both teams had very close matches throughout the season with Blacktown Spartans getting the better of the first game 4 ? 3, the second game saw both defences tighten up to keep the game at 0 ? 0.
Grade 15?S Fraser Park FC v Blacktown Spartans
Fraser Park were competitions runners-up and in their last five games had recorded three wins, one draw and a loss before the final s. They began the final series with a 3 ? 2 win over Hurstville City in the preliminary finals followed by a stunning performance against Blacktown Spartans winning 4 – 3 in extra time in the major semi final.
Blacktown Spartans were crowned premiers for 2008 after they ended up eleven points clear at the top of the competition table when they produced a 4 – 0 result over Stanmore Hawks in the last round. They had a spectacular season recording seventeen wins and only one loss, scoring an outstanding 76 goals along the way and were unbeaten in twelve games. Unfortunately they did not start the series well with a loss to Fraser Park 4 ? 3 in the major semi final. They lifted their game and bounced back to record a 3 ? 2 win over Mt Druitt in the dying minutes of extra time in the preliminary final.
The honours were shared in head to head matches with Fraser Park getting the better of the first clash    4 ? 1, while in the second game Blacktown Spartans evened the score with a 3 ? 2 win.
Grade 16?S Fraser Park FC v Stanmore Hawks
Fraser Park finished in third place after they were 3 ? 1 winners over Springwood in the last round of the competition. They had scored seven goals from their last three games and were looking sharp for the final series. They began well scoring a 2 ? 1 win over Mt Druitt in the preliminary semi final followed by an amazing 4 ? 1 victory over Stanmore Hawks in the major semi final to claim the first place in the Grand final.
Stanmore Hawks claimed the Premiership by a margin of three points. They recorded three losses all season and had conceded only 14 goals in total leaving them the fourth best defensive side in all of the youth league age groups. Even more impressive was that they had won their last six games and not conceded a goal in over 420 minutes of football. They came into the final series full of confidence but were beaten by a well drilled Fraser Park side 4 ? 1 in the major semi final. They regained their composure and recovered from that to defeat Mt Druitt 2 ? 1 in the preliminary final.
In head to head games Stanmore Hawks triumphed in the first game 2 ? 0, while the second game saw both sides play out a 0 ? 0 draw.
Grade 18?S Blacktown Spartans v Mt Druitt Town Rangers
Blacktown Spartans were placed third on the ladder and they came into the finals on the back of seven wins and two draws from their last nine matches scoring twenty three goals in the process and put themselves in a good position for the final series. Their good form continued with a 2 ? 1 win over Mt Druitt in the preliminary semi final in which they repeated against the premiers Gladesville Ryde Magic in the major semi final with an impressive win 2 ? 1 to secure their place in the Grand final.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers finished runners up in the premiership by two points after a 2 – 1 result over fifth placed Sydney University in the last round of the season. They had won their last seven of eight matches before the finals and only lost two games all season and came into the series with optimism. They were defeated in the preliminary semi final 2 ? 1 by Blacktown Spartans and as a result had to play an inform Sydney University. A tough match saw Mt Druitt get the victory 3 ? 2 before defeating the premiers Gladesville Ryde Magic in a tight and tense affair 1 ? 0.
In head to head games Blacktown and Mt Druitt shared the first game 1 ? 1 but in the return game Mt Druitt triumphed 3 ? 2.
For more information on times and details of this weekend’s Division One Youth League click here
-By Luke Cevolani