State League One Grand Final Preview

DIVISION ONE
Grand Final Preview
MOUNTIES FC ? DULWICH HILL SC
Belmore Sports Ground (kick off at 5-15pm)
Saturday, September 12
After many weeks of excitement, thrills and spills, and plenty of goals, the 2009 State League Division One Grand Final is finally upon us in what is shaping up as a real blockbuster.
Division One Premiership winners, Dulwich Hill, will take on the might of the Mounties FC in the season decider, with the match scheduled to kick off at 5-15pm on Saturday afternoon.
Thankfully the big game has been granted a big game venue, and Belmore Sports Ground is as good as it gets, with both, a brilliant playing surface for the teams to display their talents, as well as a fantastic grandstand and surrounding area for the fans to view the exciting spectacle.
And what a game this is shaping up to be!!
Mounties FC have steered themselves into the final series on the back of a resounding second round of competition, so congratulations to the coaching pair of Aidon Desmond (coach) and Glenn Lockhart (asst coach) for their marvellous achievement in guiding the club into the Championship decider.
The Mounties managed to win 8 and draw 1 of their final 10 games in the competition proper, finishing runners up on the ladder with 46 points.
They then accounted for Schofields Scorpions in the Preliminary Semi Final (2-1), before booking their spot in the Grand Final with an identical scoreline against Dulwich Hill in the Major Semi Final.
So that?s 10 wins from 12 matches for the team that plays out of Cook Park at Mount Pritchard, and that is a scary stat indeed for the Dully faithful to face this weekend.
The winning goal in both of the semi finals was scored by none other than Christian Care, the diminutive little midfielder who obviously has an eye for goal in the big games.
30-year old Care, who has played for both Sydney Leichhardt and Marconi, as well as once upon a time being a Young Socceroo, seems to be enjoying his football more than ever.
?I?ve really enjoyed my season at Mounties. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed my football so much,? beamed Care.
?We had a self belief at the beginning of the season that we could go well this year, and even more so once we overcame some injuries to key players during the middle of the season.?
?We have a ?leadership? group in the team, who provide feedback to Aidon and Glenn, and we help lead the players, with focus and effort at training and during games.?
Apart from Christian Care, skipper Daniel McCann and youngster, Matty Viera, have been the major components of a tenacious midfield, a combination of technique, grit and determination.
And of course, behind every successful team is a clinical goalscorer, and they don?t come more prolific than Steve Biviano, who will no doubt be a major threat to his old club, Dulwich Hill, on Saturday.
After winning the Premiership during the season proper, Dulwich Hill bounced back from a 1-2 loss to Mounties in the Major Semi Final, to beat UNSW 3-2 in extra time last weekend and take up their position in the Grand Final on Saturday.
Dulwich Hill finished the competition with the best attack (58 goals), and best defence (18 goals conceded), and boast a blend of youth and experience that has already given them the first prize on offer a few weeks ago.
But they are a little under manned for the Grand Final, with no less than three of their star players all unavailable for the big clash.
Division One top goalscorer, Neil Philippou, is on his honeymoon, whilst skipper, Harry James, and striker, Nick Paradisis, are both suspended due to red cards in the final series.
Coach Mark Strachan has done remarkably well to steer the club to the minor premiership, and will have to pull out all of his coaching repertoire to win this match, given the absence of these three attacking weapons.
I asked Dulwich Hill?s experienced midfielder, former Olyroo Rafael Bove, how he thinks the team will cope with loss of three of their main players.
?The players we are missing are all quality players, and would walk into any team in the league, so of course we will miss them on the park. But we have a good squad, and the players coming in will more than do the job for us on Saturday,? said Bove.
He added, ?We have a great team, a harmony between the players, and a belief in each other?s ability. We have had a fantastic mix of experience and youth, together with some players who can make a difference on their own, and all of these things have contributed to our success.?
I also asked Bove whether Dulwich Hill were up for the Grand Final after achieving so much in wining the Premiership.
?Look, our objective, no doubt, at the beginning of the season, was to win the competition, and gain promotion for the club, and we have achieved that. Having said that, we now have the opportunity to do the double, and what a bonus it would be if we were to win the Grand Final this weekend,? envisaged Bove.
Other than Bove, Dully have a wealth of playing expertise available for the Grand Final.
Norman Tome is coming to the end of his stellar career, but has seen and done it all before, and will hoping to add to his silverware with another trophy on Saturday.
The experience of Jose Mendes in central defence, the marauding Sam Messam on the flank, and the tenacious Ben Burrows and Marcus Frost in midfield will all, no doubt, also have a say in the final outcome on Saturday.
The three matches between the teams this season have all been decided by one goal, with the spoils shared during the competition proper, whilst Mounties prevailed a fortnight ago in the Major Semi Final.
This weekend?s Grand Final promises to be a real battle between the competition?s two heavyweights, with a stack of playing talent on stage, so make sure you get out there nice and early to catch all of the action as it unfolds in the season decider.
Grand Final ? Under 20s Preview
SCHOFIELDS SCORPIONS FC ? SYDNEY WANDERERS
The U/20s Grand Final will be played at Belmore Sports Ground on Saturday, September 12, kicking off at the unorthodox time of 10-00am sharp given the packed agenda on the day.
Schofields Scorpions won the Premiership by winning 15 of their competition matches, amassing a total of 50 points to clinch the title by three.
The Scorpions also have the distinction of the best attack in the competition proper (73 goals), as well as the best defensive record (19 goals), so they will go into the season decider very confident indeed of completing the double.
Sydney Wanderers, on the other hand, have been playing sudden death in each of the three weeks of the final series, accounting for Inter Lions (2-1), Blacktown Spartans (2-1), and Mounties (1-0) on their way to the Grand Final.
The two matches this season both finished in victories for Schofields, with the Scorpions winning 4-1 in Round 2 at Hajduk Stadium, and 2-1 in Round 13 at CSI Sport Ground.
But grand finals can be unpredictable as they can be exciting, so make certain you get out to Belmore Oval nice and early to see how the action unfolds.

-By Frank Speranza