St George Under 11’s not fazed by underdog tag this Sunday

Having won their last three semi finals to reach Lily Homes Stadium, St.George will be looking to play it simple and have fun this weekend. Their 1-0 victory against Granville in the first semi final, 3-0 thumping over Macarthur two weeks ago and a solid 1-0 win against minor premiers Canterbury, has sparked huge belief amongst the players that they can go all the way.
?The team is very excited for the match and of course we are a little nervous but we have a team who work together and I am confident we can do well on Sunday,? said head coach, Chris Roche.
?As long as we go out there and play simple, enjoy our football and do what we have done all year, we will be fine,? he added.
Up against a well structured Eastern Suburbs outfit that play ?fantastic football? according to St.George, the game is shaping up to be a blockbuster.
?Eastern Suburbs are a well drilled team who play fast effective football out of the back and deserve to be the favourites,? said Roche.
With St.George understanding the concept of simple play, they will rely on their commitment to work together and not just rely on star players to achieve success.
?Sometimes when people talk about teams, they refer to a few key players,? said Roche.
?Thankfully we have some real talented players, however we are not a team that relies on superstars; instead we know that success comes from working as a unit and that is what we will apply on Sunday,? he explained.
Having had a variety of activities throughout the year such as pizza nights and indoor soccer sessions due to rain, St.George will head into the final feeling fresh and motivated.
One player who is certainly up for the task is ten-year-old, Thomas Meier. The young defender is no stranger to finals, having played five in the last five years, including one for Carrs Park U/12 when he was just nine years of age.
?I am a little nervous, however I am confident we can do well,? said Thomas.
?I understand we are the underdogs but since we have come this far, we are starting to really believe we can actually win this thing.
?We will need to have a tight defence, be hungry for the ball and be in their face. It won?t be easy though, Eastern Suburbs are a good team,? he added.
As the two teams prepare themselves for what will undoubtedly be the biggest match of their careers so far, spectators can certainly expect a match to remember regardless of on any underdog label.
-By Caetano Lima