Arrive Alive Women?s Premier League Final Review

 Both teams were at full strength for what promised to be a blockbuster match between two of the league?s most exciting sides.
Inter were the team going forward in the opening minutes. A free kick went to Inter Lions after Catherine Cannuli was fouled by a Manly defender. However, Cannuli?s kick sailed high and wide of target.
Inter dominated the early exchanges but Manly?s defence was holding tight. Manly slowly started to find their rhythm and began to turn some pressure back on the Inter Lions defence.  The opening fifteen minutes had been something akin to a chess game as both teams shuffled the pieces around the board.
Inter broke strongly from defence with some deft touches by Bain and Cannuli putting Renee Tomkins into the clear. Tomkins checked back inside and pulled the trigger only to hit hard and low to the keeper.
A Manly free kick 30 metres from goal was hit sweetly by Manly Captain Gill Foster but flew slightly wide of target. This was a warning call for an Inter side that, up until this stage, had been playing with confidence.
Soon after Tomkins again surged forward, tormenting the Manly defence.  Beating a number of manly defenders Tomkins slammed her shot towards goal, but again found Manly keeper Alyssa Harris.
The game was now evening out with the two teams playing some bright football. 
A Manly corner caused havoc in the Inter defence with a one handed diving save from Lions keeper Amanda Horafios saving the day. A second corner was also poorly handled by Inter with a header off the line by LoGoudice and a desperate save by Horafios needed to keep Manly at bay.  This was Manly?s best period of the match so far.
Another strong dash by Tomkins for Inter turned the tide though; her inter play (no pun intended) with Cannuli leading to a deflected shot by the Inter Captain.  Play then moved to the opposite end of the field where a Manly corner and a quality cross by Manly Captain Gill Foster found Heidi Van Weeren in front of goal. The rangy Manly forward was off the mark though as her header flew wide of goal.
Play was now flowing end to end but Manly was looking the more dangerous side. A pinpoint accurate corner from Foster saw Horafios punch the ball away, but only to the feet of a Manly player who?s miscued shot flew over the cross bar.
The referee blew the whistle for the half time break with the scores locked at 0-0. We?d been treated to an exciting half of finals football.
The second stanza began briskly. Manly?s created the first opportunity through a free kick from Gill Foster but Heidi Van Weeren?s header flew straight to keeper Horafios. Manly were the more dominant side at this stage. Some sting had gone from the Inter attack as they struggled to feed any quality ball to their danger girl Cannuli.
Caitlin Jarvie then made a strong run for Inter, before being fouled. The resulting free kick for The Lions brought trouble for Manly. The ball flew into the Manly United box, bringing hesitation from the defence. The ball bounced through to the back post where Brook Starrett popped a pass back inside to an unmarked Cannuli who tapped the ball into goal to open the scoring.
The goal caused an adrenalin rush from the Inter girls bringing a flurry of attacking football from The Lions. But Manly had not given up; creating the next scoring opportunity with another excellent Gill Foster free kick. The ball was punched clear by the Inter keeper; falling to a Manly attacker who blazed over goal. Manly soon broke through again hitting the post after they appeared certain to score. Yet another Manly free kick followed but Gill Foster?s attempt was wasted as it rebounded off the Inter wall. The Inter goal had surely set off a hectic few minutes of play as both teams tried to capitalise on opportunities.
It was then Inter?s turn to get a free kick, twenty metres from goal. Catherine Cannuli?s kick bounced off the wall before spinning to the feet of Tomkins who looked likely to score but her kick lacked venom and the ball was cleared.
Inter Coach Joe Baldacci then replaced Nadia Hamson with Jo Saliba.
Manly were trying hard to pick the lock on the Inter Lions defence but things weren?t quite working for the girls from the peninsula. They continued to pressure the Inter defence but their finishing was not up to the usual Manly standard.
Inter still had a sting of their own, with a long ball after a throw in finding space for Cannuli whose blast from 25 metres forced a low, diving save from Manly keeper Harris.
A deflection from a shot by Cannuli almost bounced into the Manly goal before the seasiders took the ball to the other end to win a corner. It proved ineffectual however and Manly was now battling the clock as well as their opponents.
Coach Baldacci then made another move from the bench, subbing Caitlin Jarvie with Dani Calvi.
Inter broke quickly from defence sending Cannuli surging towards goal. Manly Captain Foster seemed to clip Cannuli?s heels bringing her down just outside the box. Foster was given a yellow card before disputing the decision and, in turn, being red carded.
The free kick was wasted but Inter were now up 1-0 against ten players.
More fine combination between Cannuli, LoGuidice and Calvi created an opening with Cannuli blazing over the bar. Inter?s opportunities were now becoming more frequent as manly pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
Calvi, Bain and Tomkins combined again to go within a whisker of scoring the clincher but it wasn?t needed. As the ball cleared upfield the referee blew the whistle, ending the game and sending Inter Lions into the Grand Final against Illawarra Stingrays.
This was an exciting match which offered plenty of scoring opportunities from both teams. With the pressure of finals football neither side were at their best in front of goal but this was an enthralling contest.
The result was a sad end to a solid season from the Manly United FC team. They were responsible for some fine football during 2010 but today had been one of those days where they couldn?t find the back of the net. You can be sure that the girls from Cromer Park will be keen to make amends come 2011.
Inter Lions showed plenty of spirit to win their way through to the season decider. Their season has had its ups and downs but the quality of the side has shown through in the finals series. Whilst much of Inter?s fortunes may rest of the freakish goal scoring ability of Catherine Cannuli, there can be no doubt that The Lions are more than a one trick pony.
MANLY UNITED FC 0
INTER LIONS            1 (C. Cannuli 58m)
So now the Arrive Alive Women?s Premier League moves towards its final weekend with the cream of girls/women?s football on show at Balls Paddock for WPL Grand Final Day. All roads lead south next Sunday for a fabulous day of football.
See you all next weekend!
-By Ross Anderson