NSW Premier Youth League Grand Finals Review 2012
Throughout the day the spectator areas responded to the high standard of play with plenty of cheers and sighs, oohs and aahs and bountiful spontaneous applause and that added much to the atmosphere of the day.
As hosts, Blacktown City FC went to extraordinary lengths to make sure that everyone was comfortable and taking full advantage of their excellent facilities, keeping the canteen queues as short as possible and ensuring that the playing surface was in tip-top order.
Marconi Stallions fielded teams in the first three matches and they were up against Sydney Olympic, APIA Leichhardt Tigers and Parramatta FC before the Blacktown clubs, City and Spartans, met in the first-ever Blacktown derby in a finals series.
Before taking a look at what happened on the day, a reminder that next week The Youth League Report will present a review of Season 2012, looking at the performance of each club and every team throughout the year.
Grade 13
Sydney Olympic had been crowned Premiers after they won the competition by a margin of six points with seventeen wins and five draws coming from their twenty-four matches. Olympic had the most potent attack in this age group, scoring fifty-two goals, and the best defensive figures as they conceded only nine goals. They reached the Grand Final by taking the most direct route with a 2-0 win over APIA Leichhardt Tigers in the Major Semi Final.
Marconi Stallions were the competition runners-up with fifteen wins and five draws coming from their twenty-four games. They qualified for the Grand Final the hard way as they needed to play on each of the three weeks of the series. Firstly they lost the Preliminary Semi Final, going down 5-4 on penalties after their match against APIA Leichhardt Tigers was locked up at 1-1 at the end of normal time and at the end of extra time. Then they defeated Manly United 2-0 in the Minor Semi Final before winning the Preliminary Semi Final with a 2-0 result over APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
In head-to-head action during the competition Olympic had claimed the first round points with a 2-0 win and then the second round clash ended in a 0-0 draw.
This was an intriguing match on several different levels, not the least of which was the cultured style of play produced by both teams as they provided a very high level of entertainment for the folk privileged to watch the game. They both created some excellent chances to score but they were consistently denied by excellent displays of the goalkeeping craft at both ends of the pitch.
We had to wait until the last three minutes of the first half for the first goal and it came when a shot from Olympic?s James Reed slipped through the Marconi keeper?s hands and into the net. However, that lead was short-lived as the Stallions were level within a minute thanks to a strike from Andrew Pethyon.
After the break the teams continued to throw everything they had into the match and the result was an even higher level of entertainment than we had witnessed earlier. Seventeen minutes into the second stanza Andrew Pethyon found the net once again when he pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area to give the Stallions the lead.
Olympic pressed forward in a very serious attempt to get back into the game but the Marconi defence held firm, refusing to give their opponents a millimetre of space, while the Stallions attacked with relish as they sought a goal that would assure them of a victory.
The final whistle came and there were extended periods of applause from the spectator areas as the audience showed their appreciation for both teams in a truly fabulous match. Marconi stepped forward to claim the rewards as Champions while Olympic can hold their heads high as there can be no shame in losing such a tight and enthralling match.
Grade 14
APIA Leichhardt Tigers had taken the title as Premiers after they completed the competition four points clear of their nearest rivals with sixteen wins and five draws coming from their twenty-four matches. The Tigers had the best attacking figures with fifty goals to show for the season and the best defensive record after they conceded only thirteen goals. In the lead-up to the Grand Final they lost the Major Semi Final to Marconi Stallions 4-3 on penalties after the match finished at 2-2 and then there was no addition to the scoring during extra time. Tigers went on to take out the Preliminary Final with a 2-0 success over Sutherland Sharks.
Marconi Stallions finished in third place on the table with fourteen wins and five draws to show for their twenty-four games. To reach the Grand Final the Stallions defeated Sutherland Sharks 2-1 in the Preliminary Semi Final and then they won the Major Semi Final 4-3 on penalties over APIA Leichhardt Tigers and that gave them the short-cut to this match.
In head-to-head action during the competition the first round encounter was a 1-1 draw while the Tigers took the second round points with a 3-1 result.
From the outset it was very clear that the Tigers dearly wanted to be the dominant force in this match and they clearly achieved that aim as they put themselves one goal to the good after only five minutes thanks to a strike from Jordan Koton.
Marconi were searching for answers to the seemingly relentless pressure being applied by the Tigers and they attempted to launch attacks on several occasions but they were consistently thwarted by the rock-solid Leichhardt defence.
In the twenty-second minute the Tigers made it 2-0 when Matt Nezval found the back of the net and that was followed by a goal from Kyle Cimenti just two minutes later to give Leichhardt a three goal buffer which they carried through to the interval.
The start of the second half saw the Stallions throw everything they had at their opponents but they were not able to make the necessary impact to give themselves a glimmer of hope. Their problem was compounded by the fact that Luke Browning took the scoreline to 4-0 just two minutes into the second stanza.
Lesser teams might have thrown in the towel but, to their credit, the young Stallions continued to give their best to a game which had slipped beyond their grasp. There was certain inevitability about the situation when Matt Nezval added his second goal and Leichhardt?s fifth with only four minutes remaining on the clock.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers deservedly stepped up to claim the title as Champions but Marconi Stallions should not be disheartened as they gave the best they had throughout the match against the team which had proved to be the benchmark throughout the season.
Grade 15
Marconi Stallions were unbeaten all season and they claimed the title as Premiers by a margin of nine points after they had produced eighteen wins and six draws over the course of the season. The Stallions had the best attacking record in this age group as they scored fifty-seven gals and they also had the best defensive figures as they conceded a very miserly four goals during the competition. They took the direct route to the Grand Final with a 2-0 win over Sydney Olympic in the Major Semi Final.
Parramatta FC finished the competition in third position with fourteen wins and four draws coming from their twenty-four matches. They qualified for the Grand Final with after taking the long way around. Firstly, they lost the Preliminary Semi Final 1-0 to Sydney Olympic and then they won the Minor Semi Final with a 2-1 extra time victory over Blacktown City before claiming the Preliminary Semi Final with a 4-2 win on penalties over Sydney Olympic after the match was locked up at 0-0 at full-time and after extra time.
In head-to-head action during the competition Marconi took all the points with a 1-0 win in the first round and a 6-0 second round victory.
It was fascinating to watch the contrast of playing styles in this match with Marconi producing a cultured and patient short passing game while Parramatta adopted a much more direct approach to their play with a certain urgency becoming apparent.
The result was that the Stallions dominated the ball possession as they skilfully built wave after wave of attack and kept Parramatta on the back foot for long periods of the first half. The fact that the Parramatta defence remained calm under pressure and that their goalkeeper was in excellent form is a credit to them. Their attack was based on quick breaks but they were largely dealt with but the well organised Marconi defence.
The Stallions took the lead late in the first half thanks to a strike from Richard Darko and it did appear that the floodgate might just open afterward but Parramatta held firm and kept their opponents? shooting opportunities to a minimum.
The second half was a carbon copy of the first with Marconi maintaining possession and trying to find a way to break down the opposing defences and Parramatta looking for the most direct route to goal when they could get hold of the ball.
When the final whistle sounded Marconi Stallions had won the match 1-0 and they were rewarded with their declaration as Champions while Parramatta left the arena with their heads held high with the knowledge that they gave everything to the match.
Grade 16
Blacktown City FC took out the Premiership by ten points after they posted sixteen wins and two draws from their twenty-two matches. City had the best defensive record in this age group after they conceded only sixteen goals. They took the most direct route to the Grand Final when they defeated Marconi Stallions 10-9 on penalties in the Major Semi Final after the match finished at 1-1 and then there was no addition to the score during extra time.
Blacktown Spartans finished the competition in thirds position with twelve wins and three draws to show for their twenty-two matches. They had the best attacking figures in this age group as they had forty-seven goals to their credit. The Spartans qualified for the Grand Final with a 4-3 loss on penalties to Marconi Stallions in the Preliminary Semi Final after the match was locked up at 0-0 at full-time and again at the end of extra time. The Spartans bounced back to win the Minor Semi Final with a 2-0 win over Sydney Olympic and then they defeated the Stallions 3-1 in the Preliminary Final.
In head-to-head action during the competition the Spartans took the first round points with a 5-1 result and then City squared the ledger with a 4-0 win in the second round.
While the match started as an even contest, slowly but surely Blacktown City began to exert some authority on the play in the early stages and they were rewarded with a tenth minute goal from Kris Vsilimas.
Just eleven minutes later city established a two goal buffer when Nick Dimitriadis found the back of the net and that was a fair indication of the state of play at that stage of the game. The Spartans tried to claw their way back into the contest but City?s defence held firm and became the launching pad for a great many counter attacks.
It seemed that no matter what the Spartans tried, City had an answer for it and that trend continued through to the break. After the interval it was very much the same story and City were able to turn their domination into a third goal thanks to a strike from Justin Ivanovic in the forty-ninth minute.
Once again, the Spartans rallied and they finally made a breakthrough in the 68th minute when Felipe Zapata grabbed an opportunist goal and then Jamie Dib gave the Spartans some hope just one minute from full-time when his speculative effort also found the target to take the scoreline to 3-2.
However, it proved to be too little, too late as the referee called time and Blacktown City claimed the spoils as deserved Champions. Blacktown Spartans? never-say-die approach has won them many fans as they kept on competing right up to the final whistle.
-By Barry Davis
