State League Two 2013 Season Preview

2013 marks an historic transition for Football NSW as it launched two new structured competitions following recommendations from last year’s thorough review (www.footballnsw.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=7155&tx_ttnews[backPid]=74&cHash=2e3b655e62).
The extensive audit of club facilities, governance, finances, performance and planning resulted in a massive shake-up for this year’s winter season, a move backed fully by Football Federation Australia.
In a nutshell, the four Football NSW leagues (Premier, Super, divisions one and two) are now separate two-tier competitions – Premier League 1 and 2, and State League 1 and 2.
There will be no Premier League promotion/relegation at the end of 2013 but next year will see a straight swap between the bottom League 1 club and League 2 champion.
State League 2 winners can replace the bottom State League 1 club at the end of this season should they meet certain off-field criteria as well.
While it’s a monumental task to ensure the changes will be effective, Football NSW has promised to work with all clubs across the state to improve football facilities and programs and ensure on and off pitch development is encouraged, supported and executed at the highest standard.
NSW and Queensland lead the way in implementing these structural changes nationally, with all other state bodies expected to follow suit in 2014 and unify Australia’s football competitions and player pathways.
So, what does it all mean for FNSW’s keenly contested State League 2?
This year’s 11-team competition pits former State League 1 sides Hurstville ZSC (now Hurstville FC), Fairfield City Lions, Schofield Scorpions, Southern Bulls, Stanmore Hawks and University of NSW with State League 2 survivors Hurstville City Minotaurs, Belmore Hercules (now Belmore United) and Fairfield Wanderers (now Western Condors). New entrants Enfield Rovers and Southern Branch (representing NSW South Coast, Southern Highlands and Tablelands) round out the field.
Of the remaining 2012 State League 2 teams, champions Hakoah (now Sydney City East), beaten grand finalists Prospect United, Hawkesbury City, Nepean and Bathurst ’75 (now Western NSW) were all successful in gaining inclusion to State League 1, while Gazy Lansvale, Luddenham United, Mountains United and Chopin Park Rams (now West City) need to work on club facilities and programs before hopefully regaining entry into future state leagues.
Got it all? Good.
The changes were always going to ruffle feathers as clubs adjust to meet new standards, but nothing can ever detract from the competitive spice of Sydney football and the revamped State league 2 has reignited old rivalries as much as it will create new ones.
Newly formed Enfield Rovers battle Uni of NSW in the season opener at David Phillips Field on Saturday evening (April 6) and many eyes will be on the Sunday afternoon sizzler (April 7) between Stanmore Hawks and Hurstville City Minotaurs, but with the competition laced with nine clubs from south and south-west Sydney every weekend is sure to be marked by passion-fuelled derbies.
Adding flavour to the brew, this year’s title race will be particularly hotly contested as clubs seek to stake their claims to play in a higher division. Here’s how the coaches see it.
Belmore United
Premiers
Div 1: 1995
Div 2: 1992
You can take Hercules out of Belmore but you can’t take away the strength of newly-named-but-same-old-gladiator Belmore United.
They’ve kept the majority of players from last year, veteran captain Paul Paras is back, the wily Andrew Lazarou has come back from leading Cyprus club Apoel, and former Socceroo Pablo Cordozo is ready and rearing to go.
“We’ve had some big additions to our squad, we’ll definitely be competitive and hope to push for a finals spot,” said coach George Lazarou, a name no-one in the Sydney football fraternity wouldn’t know.
Lazarou debuted for Sydney Olympic at the tender age of 17 way back in the late 1970s and went on to wind out his career in the state leagues, fortuitously at Belmore Hercules in 1995. He had started a coaching stint before family commitments took over but, when the kids grew up, he pushed his way into the tanks at Stanmore Hawks juniors and completed all his licences.
“You never stop learning as a coach and I want to go for my A licence as soon as possible. I’ve travelled a lot in my life – England, Italy, Holland, Cyprus – and everywhere I went I learnt about other cultures and other football philosophies. I strongly believe our work with the kids will pay off.”
Lazarou backed any Football NSW move to make football better, even if lessons would be learned along the way, and he was keen to match it with some fresh blood in a new-look state league 2.
“They have their own agenda for what they’re looking at in the future and where they want to take the game. There must be something to it as you wouldn’t make a decision just for the sake of it,” he said.
“We’ve been told to get off Blick Oval because of the cricket pitch in the middle of it, and fair enough, but the club has been very active it finding a better home and we’re very close to securing a 21-year deal at a nearby ground.
“Actually I think the line-up in division two has made it a pretty interesting competition. It’s good to see the passion is still there."
Enfield Rovers
A successful amateur club with fantastic ground facilities and a rich junior base is a perfect fit for state league 2 but Enfield Rovers won’t be there just for show.
Enfield football manager Joe Piazza said the club is primed to make its mark after lengthy success at Canterbury association level. “We’d won all age and premier league, so I asked the club if they were interested in playing state league and they said yes. Pratten Park is a great home ground, one of the benefits of being in this area, and we have two pitches to train on,” he said.
“The club’s been around for a long time and it was time to step up. We’ve recruited well and brought in some new players to add to last year’s squad, and there’s a lot of good young kids in our 20s who have already played first grade in the trial matches.
“[First grade coach] Anthony Picone has done a lot in youth league and recently decided to move into senior football. He’s very excited and likes the squad we’ve assembled.”
Piazza was realistic with his expectation for the season and looked forward to establishing some good local derbies.
“We’d like to finish mid-table in our first season. It’s a very hard competition and we’ve got a decent squad capable of doing the business. It’s going to be a hard first year but anything above mid-table would be fantastic. There’s a lot of buzz at the club already.”
“There’s so many teams nearby to Enfield that will create some good hitouts – Belmore, Stanmore, Hurstville; it’s going to be an exciting year.”
Fairfield City Lions
Premiers
Div 1: 2005
Fairfield City Lions coach Tony Basha has travelled the world to improve his coaching credentials, spending month-long stints at Manchester City in the UK and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal at their coaching academies, and the former Parramatta Melita and S-League player (Singapore) is primed for the looming winter.
“We’ve got a lot of good players coming through, we’re training hard, and I can promise Fairfield fans a philosophy toward playing attractive football. I’m only a young bloke but I know my football, and there’ll be no easy games against the Lions this year,” he said.
“We’ll be very competitive. The club is all about the juniors and giving these kids a chance to move forward and that can only come with going up another division.
“Some boys have never played state league before but we’re giving them a chance to buy into what we’re doing… and we’ve been lucky enough to have Wanderers player Kwabena Appiah-Kubi come down to the club and give us a hand, and that’s had a great effect on the players. We’re there for them and to make Australian football stronger.”
Basha was also whetting his lips at the prospect of clubs jostling hard for a higher position at the FNSW table.
“There’s a lot of rivalries in Sydney and not many better than Lions v Bulls games, but that makes football the winner,” he said. “State League 2 keeps the dream alive for clubs who want to move forward – no-one wants to be stuck in division two – so I’m sure it will be a fiery year.
“FNSW are trying for a better structure and that takes tough decisions. I just hope clubs do all their talking on the pitch.”
Hurstville City Minotaurs
Premiers
Div 1: 1997
Div 2: 2007 southern
Hurstville City Minotaurs coach Peter Sarikakis is Football NSW furniture – a grand throne never short of words. He’s been around long enough to have seen it all and although he has plenty of questions about the recent review he’ll never be distracted from his primary motivation – developing better footballers.
“Our boys are ready to go, there’s hardly anybody new as my players never want to go anywhere else,” he boasted with the usual wry grin.
“We’ve also gained the services of George Koimanis (from Schofields) to coach the under-20s and he’s brought with him a good bunch of kids, and together with Chris Matsias, a very good fitness trainer, they’ve put a lot of time and effort into making the players fit.
“Unlike my style from 40 years ago, Chris is very professional, has a practice in the area, and it’s good to have someone like that at the club. Yes, it’s getting serious, but we’ll never take away the fun and laughs we have together as a club, or you shouldn’t be doing it.”
Smiles are sure to be tested in a mouth-watering round one clash against traditional foes Stanmore Hawks on Sunday and Sarikakis eagerly recalled Hawks-Minotaurs derbies of the past.
“We used to be big rivals with Stanmore Hawks from our Super League days playing in front of a few thousand people,” he said. “It is interesting to have some new teams in the league but I really feel for the proven competitors of the past that won’t be part of the competition because of the bye.”
Hurstville FC
Hurstville FC coach and football veteran Steve Zoric plied his trade under the likes of Manfred Schaefer (at Sydney Croatia), Frank Arok (St George Colts) and John Kosmina (Warringah Dolphins), and he’s using all their knowledge to transform Hurstville into a title contender.
“We kept a core group of players but made a lot of changes to the squad. There’s 24 players all up, so a lot of depth but, from experience, you need players ready to step in,” he said.
“We’ve got a good mix of youth and experience, speed and skill, and the players are maturing quite quickly. We looked a lot at our structure in the pre-season and have really focused on our defensive formation and fitness; we’ll look at our attacking options and improve as the season goes on but the boys will be up there at the end of season.”
Zoric, 39, is still pushing his legs around the park and will come off the bench for a club he’s called home for over a decade.
“The team spirit is high and we’re ready for a good competition, which features what should be a fantastic Hurstville derby and I’m also looking forward to the match against Stanmore. Rivalries are very good for this division, it makes it more exciting, and I’m sure every club is looking at this year’s competition as a new lease of life.”
Schofields Scorpions
In a Football NSW exclusive Schofields Scorpions has scored the coup of the state league season thus far by securing the services of heralded 40-year coaching veteran Vic Dalgleish, the man who masterminded Australia to its greatest men’s success – quarter final appearances at the 1985 and 1987 under-16 world championships.
Dalgleish is on the Australian Football Museum’s Roll of Honour (Distinguished) and Schofields general manager Alex Soncini is delighted to have his immense experience at the Scorpions disposal.
“Dalgleish will be coaching with Hector Martinez [played in Argentina, Greece, Turkey], who also has his FIFA licence, and together they should do a very good job,” he said.
“It’s all just starting for us now. A third of the players are coming back from last year so we pretty much started from scratch… it’s a new beginning for the Scorpions and getting back to premier league is the main aim.
“I can remember my parents help develop the clubhouse and field back in the early ‘80s and now some new blood has been injected into the club. We’re one of a few clubs to own their own field and premises and the big idea is to bring the club into the future.
“The committee is being very supportive of what we’re trying to do… one day we’d like to implement player pathways at the club that can go from under 6 right through to state league.”
Soncini can’t wait for the season to start, especially with all the old onfield rivalries. “People were expecting us to fold this year but we’re doing things properly. Unfortunately we had a slow start but things will be very different in a month’s time. This is a huge opportunity for a club with so much potential and the people have all got behind it; everyone’s looking forward to the season.”
Southern Branch
Southern Branch is a new entity in the state leagues. Representing the South Coast, Southern Highlands and Tablelands, Southern Branch is located at the exquisite South Nowra Sports Complex and has plenty of talent at its doorstep,
The teams are fresh-faced but Southern Branch coach Brod Crighton has already expressed the kind of strategic guile found in Sun Yzu’s ‘The Art of War’.
“The squad’s quite young and we have a very young under-20s team. We had our first proper hitout in the Waratah Cup against a team from Manly and although they were bigger, stronger and somewhat older than us I told the boys to be sharper and faster. We were up 2-1 before they scored the winner from a freekick at the top of the box in extra time,” he said.
“But I like the work ethic of my boys. They all gave 100% and if we go into the comp like that we should be alright.”
Backed up by former Wollongong Wolves NSL player and Southern Branch 20s coach David Boscosuro, Crighton would love to see the club extend its player pathway into a 16s and 18s team and establish a full pathway for his players, and he admitted it was hard to gauge where his side currently stood.
“It’s a bit of an unknown until we get into the competition as we haven’t played anyone from our league. We’ll be competitive in all our games,” he said.
“Travel won’t be an issue for us as most of the players have been playing since under-12s and travelled to Sydney every week for their games, and their parents are very supportive. We’ve got kids coming from Narooma, Batemans Bay, Ulladulla to play. It’s a big thing for these young blokes and they’re getting better every week. We’ve also got good management and the committee is right behind us. There’s a really good feeling at the club.”
Crighton grew up in Sydney and played for the old Guildford Wanderers. He completed his level 3 licence with Norm Boardman and has coached in the Illawarra for several years.
Southern Bulls
Premiers
Div 1: 1990 (as Southern Districts), 1998 (as Fairfield Bulls)
Div 2: 2010 (as Fairfield Bulls)
 The Southern Bulls marriage (following the Fairfield Bulls merger with Southern Districts last year) continues to develop beautifully and coach Ramsin Shamon is adamant his young side will do well in 2013.

A notable player at Polonia, Nepean and Western Sydney Lions, Shamon coached Canterbury-Marrickville Berries at Premier League level, holds an AFC coaching licence and has taken on some very important roles with FNSW’s Skills and Acquisition program as well as several school programs – so you can bank on him knowing a thing or two about player development.

“Southern Bulls is probably the biggest club in western Sydney in terms of player numbers and we have recruited well for the Bulls state league side,” he said.
“We’ve had very good preparation for this season, we started in October, and have also taken all the players to a metabolic expert to check out their fitness levels, body shape and identify what they need to work on.
“We went on a four-day bonding camp in Nowra, trained a lot, and also learnt a lot about each other, and I think this has helped develop a close-knit group of players.”
Shamon has high hopes for the Bulls and would love the chance to ply his coaching skills in a higher league.
“We’ve got a lot of players who have played in Premier and Super League as we thought we’d be in division one,” he said. “Even in this position the vision of the Bulls board was too good to pass up; the club and direction and what they want is why I’m here.”
Stanmore Hawks
A Super League club just six years ago, many at Stanmore Hawks believe they’re in the wrong division. But with the bullet bit and bridges built, coach George Paradisis said the task was easy on paper, challenging in reality.
“We didn’t expect to be in division two so it was a bit of a shock, but we’ve been able to keep most of our squad and our main aim is to get back to division one,” he said. “We’ve done our pre-season, played a lot of trial games mainly against teams higher than us, and we’ve done quite well… there’s always plenty to work on.”
Paradisis lined up for Sydney Olympic’s youth sides in the 1980s and since racked up 18 years coaching at the iconic Sydney club. “I was 28 and had copped a few injuries and was pretty good with the players so the committee asked me to coach the juniors [including Zenon Caravella, Dylan Macallister and the Elrich boys].”
His influence hit the mark when he signed former NSL player Angelo Petratos two weeks ago. “He’s 40, very fit, and the guy can still play. Last year he played for Bankstown City Lions in Super League and is a quality player who wants to do well,” Paradisis said.
“We’ve also got Olympic’s second Premier League keeper Sam Emmanuel, [Futsalroo world cup player] Lachlan Wright, and the expectation is to be promoted back to division one. It’s not going to be easy. I’ve done my part in getting the team ready though the pre-season. They’re fit, it’s now up to the players to go out there and play to win these games.”
“We want to be in a higher league but every club is thinking the same way. The old rivalries – Fairfield Lions, Schofields, Bulls, Hurstville – will always be there. I remember watching the ‘Greek’ derby between Minotaurs and Stanmore, thousands turned up to watch, and many will return this year. The Greek newspapers have been ringing up and it’s primed to be a big derby.”
In other news, Arlington Oval has just been approved to be resurfaced with astro-turf at the end of the season.
University of NSW
Premiers
Div 2: 2006
He came from Argentina to Australia in 1972 to play football. He fell in love and never left. University of NSW coach Jorge Piatta exudes everything vibrant about latin romance… and football, and he’s relishing the opportunity of participating in this year’s state league 2.
It was through his relationship with former APIA NSL player Riccardo Campana that a 24-year-old Piatta, also of Buenos Aires, was offered a two-year contract to play with Sydney club [four-time Super League winners] Prague.
“I also had an offer from Mexico, but I did a little research on Australia and it looked like a great country, so I decided to go there instead. Before my contract expired I met a girl here who today is my wife and now have two really good Aussie boys who are both very good citizens of this country. This country has given me a lot and I can only give back my knowledge and experience of football.
Italian-Argentine Piatta worked alongside Raul Blanco at NSL club Parramatta Eagles and is now a 20-year coaching veteran calling on all his latin American / continental European roots to help shape a decent state league side and hopefully shape some future representatives.
“It’s our religion, to be honest. I was offered an assistant coaching role at Uni of NSW last year and this year was offered the head position. We have a mix of experience and young players, some very good young players who are up and coming, and there is a big opportunity to take the club forward in the next few years,” he said.
“The ambition is to get back to a higher division, and I think this project is to take the club and community up with the team. The club has very, very good facilities, my only concern is the way we play football, with an emphasis on ability and technique. It’s important to teach young boys the technical side of the game as the only thing Australia needs to work on to become one of the strong football nations is technique and position.
“Australian boys are very competitive and, comparing it to South America and some nations of Europe, there is only to learn the skill and strategy.
“It will take some time to come together but we will try very hard to be very competitive. It’s not going to be easy for us as we have a lost a couple of players, but we hope to make the finals.”
Western Condors

Premiers
Div 1: 2002 (as Wanderers Cedars)
Div 2: 1986, 1987 (as Granville Chile)
The condor has a fairly impressive wingspan and so to the Chilean-based branch the Western Condors sit on in the NSW state leagues.
Their following is passionate, their football is entertaining, and they aim to do their club proud in State League 2. Coach Barry Zambrano is certainly eager for this week’s season start.
“We’re looking okay. We’ve had some good friendly games and started quite well. There’s a couple of new faces in the squad, some young blood, and a freshening up of the team from last year… but our aim is to get into the playoffs and I believe in the ability we have that it’s a very possible goal,” he said.
The former Parramatta Melita NSL player said the revamped state league offered a new chance to every club wanting the best for their players.
“It’s new, more challenging again, and the competition is wide open in my opinion. The rivalries are great and we’ve had some really good encounters with the Bulls over the years, and meeting the new teams in the competition are exciting for us well.”
-By Daniel de Nardi