Sutherland Sharks’ sensational 2009

Notwithstanding the pressures following the squad after a marvellous 2008 season ? where many neutral observers believed the side had overachieved ? the Sharks had enough bite to prove all the detractors wrong with a League grand-final and League Cup triumph.
The Shire-side sent out the challenge to their more fancied Premier League adversaries ? Sydney United, Marconi Stallions and Manly United FC, the favourites for the title ? and remained the only side standing following the grand-final at Penrith?s CUA Stadium last weekend.
The 4-1 defeat of the Stallions following a hard-fought 90? minutes of grand-final football was deserved, though the side worked much harder than the final result may suggest.
?The score was huge, though by no means was it a complete reflection on the match, it was much closer than what the result suggests,? Sharks coach Robbie Stanton commented following the win.
?I was certain Marconi would try to catch us out with a few changes to their formation from recent matches ? where they have been really impressive. And today they proved their versatility with some wonderful football.
?I think we managed to absorb a lot of the pressure well, and this allowed us to remain in the match and then get the goal.?
In his first season as Sharks first team boss, Stanton has enjoyed the challenge and the response he received from his players.
?It?s fantastic, the boys have been great this season with their efforts, and this really proves the big effort everyone at the club has put in,? Stanton commented.
?This season, we have had a bit of a thin playing roster ? the smallest in the competition. ?Even so, the experienced boys have shown a lot of heart and they have stepped up to make themselves counted when it was needed.?
Despite the side?s tough start to the campaign, following the strong showing in season 2008, Stanton?s Sharks were unyielding in the final surge towards the finals series. Sutherland Sharks President Paul Smith was ecstatic with his side?s run, especially following the difficult start encountered by the side in 2009.
?We?re ecstatic with our achievements. With the grand-final win, we?ve added the only trophy that was missing in our collection,? said Smith.
?Robbie (Stanton) has had a fabulous season, and we are really pleased for him. He was under a lot of pressure early on in the season, which I don?t think was warranted.
?Coming off a campaign where ?Bomber? (Brian Brown) and Cliff Pointer performed wonders, there were some question marks as to whether Robbie could recapture those same results.
?There were questions though Robbie stuck at it to provide the answers, and he showed everyone what he is capable of ? a fabulous achievement indeed.?
The greatest difficulty faced by all Premier League clubs in the spotlight revolves around keeping their most talented players, and with Sutherland Sharks triumphant season, retaining the services of each player in the group for another season will be a tough ask.
?Having kept a solid group from 2008 I believe helped us this season to achieve what we have,? continued Smith.
?We did lose a few great players from 2008; I guess Brendan Gan (Sydney FC) was a massive loss, though we managed to fill that gap with a tremendous talent in Panni Nikas.
?As for next season, we?ll hope to keep as many players as possible. There will be interest from other clubs no doubt, and we have made it clear that under no circumstance will we keep any player back should an A-League or National Youth League club come knocking.
?The likes of Nikas, Blake Powell, Ben Spruce, Nick Stavroulakis? the list goes on? have all had big seasons, so we understand should the opportunity arise to move on to another club, we would be pleased for the individual,? emphasised the Sharks President.
?In saying that, the boys have also told us that they will be back next season should no such offer come about. They will not look to move to another Premier League club, but remain with the Sharks to repeat our 2009 season.?
One player that will be back in 2010 is stalwart, captain courageous, George Souris. The veteran Sharks defender has defied his 40-years of age to lead his side to two pieces of silverware in 2009, the Sharks defender is ready to repeat the feat in 2010.
?(laughs) Georgie is a fantastic bloke,? Smith expressed.
?It is funny, quite a few years ago I was down in Wollongong where Georgie was playing and I watched him training? He was suffering a back injury at the time yet he still arrived first at training, and he was still there 30? minutes after the session, training at a very high standard. I said to myself that I want a player like that at my club.
?With our player development programs at the club, experienced guys like George Souris are a role model for the youngsters. He is feeling strong, and will continue to help the younger boys in the first team with his experience and ?know how? on the playing surface.?
Sutherland Sharks 2009 season was an immensely successful one across the board, with the sides in each age group, and division, performing well.
In the Metropolitan League, the Sharks were victorious in the U-11 competition, with the U-12 and U-14 sides narrowly losing out in their respective grand final match-ups.
Paul Smith continued:
?Again, this comes down to the development and grass roots programs we have in the area. We have much talent throughout each of our sides in each age group which has led to further recognition for a number of these players with State representative football already a reality for some of these boys.?
No less than seven Sharks players were recently called up to Jean Paul De Marigny?s NSWIS side that toured Korea, meanwhile U-18s squad member Brendan McLean has been selected to tour the UK in January with the Australian Schoolboys side.
?This is further testament to the fine work carried out in the Shire. We are all extremely pleased with our progress, and we are aiming to continue to improve on the fine work seen over the past few years,? concluded Smith.
-By Joseph Carlucci