State League One Grand Final Preview
This week Football NSW previews the final game of the 2013 State League One calendar, the Grand Final between Northbridge FC and Balmain Tigers at Jensen Park set for this Sunday afternoon.
Northbridge FC – Balmain Tigers
Jensen Park, Sefton on Sunday, September 29 @ 4pm
Round 5 – 5 May – Balmain 3 (Cook 2, Occhipinti) Northbridge 2 (Jones, A McGrouther)
Round 16 – 21 July – Northbridge 2 (Bentham,A McGrouther) Balmain 5 (Occhipinti 3, Donato, G Di Mento)
Semi Final – 15 September – Northbridge 1 (Hall), Balmain 0
The Grand Final showpiece event has finally arrived, and spectators of the State League One competition could not have wished for a more mouth-watering clash than the one about to unravel on Sunday afternoon at Jensen Park between Northbridge FC and Balmain Tigers.
Who can argue that these two teams deserve to take their place on the big day, both having lead the competition at different stages of the season before winning their respective semi finals to earn a Grand Final spot.
Both sides have plenty of talent who have not only steered them to a Grand Final position, but have also been instrumental in their teams’ consistently high performances throughout the season.
Northbridge line up with arguably one of the best ‘attacking’ defenders in the league, with Lee Jones netting six goals on the back of some rampaging runs up and down the right flank.
James Collins and Ricky Woodward complement each other tremendously well, the former in a defensive holding midfield role, whilst the skipper likes to venture forward and make supporting runs in the attacking third.
Even though Tom Bentham will be missing in the Grand Final, Northbridge can look to plenty of other scoring options, namely the diminutive Ry Hardy, a great penalty box poacher, whilst Michael Cole has a real ‘Frank Lampard’ look about him, an energetic midfielder who has scored goals consistently at this level for a number of years now.
Balmain Tigers boast some real strength down the ‘spine’ of their team, starting with Oliver Babington in central defence, a fierce competitor who takes no prisoners, whilst skipper Tommy Hyde is always a picture of composure as he marshals his defensive line.
Liam Cole and Jacob Di Mento have a stranglehold on the midfield, Cole possessing a silky touch in general play, not to mention his deadly set pieces, whilst Jacob is a true ball winner who can knock a great diagonal pass with ease.
The pace of the side is evident out wide, with Will Donato and Domenic Di Mento often leaving their markers in a trail of smoke, both old fashioned wingers who are effective at getting to the by line and getting their crosses into the danger zone.
And who can forget Rosario Occhipinti? The Italian has been in the country for just over six months, and has already claimed a Golden Boot courtesy of his 17 goals, and will no doubt be looking to add a Championship medal in his short time in Australia.
“CAPTAIN’S VIEWS”
Football NSW took some time out to interview the two men who will lead their respective teams in Sunday’s State League One Grand Final – Ricky Woodward, Northbridge’s midfield pocket dynamo, and Tommy Hyde, Balmain’s ‘Lucas Neill’-like defender.
Q. What do you believe has been instrumental to your team’s success in 2013?
Ricky Woodward (Northbridge) – “We have a very strong culture at the club, high standards and high expectations, and we hold each other accountable to maintaining those standards.”
Tommy Hyde (Balmain) – “The upheaval from the 2012 squad has brought everyone closer together, we are tight on and off the park, and we have the right balance in the squad after recruiting well. Also, I don’t think many teams gave us much hope in 2013, so we have definitely taken a lot of teams by surprise, especially early in the season.”
Q. What hurdles have you faced on the way to the 2013 Grand Final?
RW – “Maintaining our consistency, and our focus, and not taking any team lightly, as this season was one of the closest in years.”
TH – “We faced adversity in the scheduling, or rescheduling as was the case, in our matches this year. For one reason or another, we ended up only playing the 4 games at home, on three occasions we played 2 games in 3 days, and played 3 or 4 teams on their own home ground on the two occasions we played each of them!”
Q. No doubt you’ve reached this far because of the ‘sum of the parts’, but have there been any individuals who have stood out and deserve added recognition?
RW – “Yes definitely. James Collins has been outstanding in a defensive midfield role, our goalkeeper Sean Mulhern, Tom Bentham up front, Paul Orgad and Michael Cole in midfield, Alex Hatzi in defence” – at this stage I pointed out Ricky was moving his way through the squad – “I know…actually, the whole team have done extremely well!”
TH – “Rosario Occhipinti has been a revelation in front of goal, and his goals have won many a game for us, whilst signing the Di Mento brothers mid-season gave us a huge boost just when we needed it. I also believe the old boys who carried over from the Balmain of previous years – Liam Cole, Joel Cook, Will Donato (and Tommy failed to mention himself) – have continued the legacy of Balmain that started all those years ago and is still alive and well today.”
Q. What do you admire about your Grand Final opponents?
RW – “I believe Balmain play a similar style to us, they respect each other on and off the park, and play great football. Also, they possess a great striker in Rosario (Occhipinti), one who we’ll have to keep a close eye on in Sunday’s game.”
TH – “Northbridge play a good style of attacking football, they have strong spirit amongst the players, and a real synergy in their game play.”
Q. I can’t let either of you off the hook without asking for a prediction?
RW – “I am tipping a Northbridge win, but it will be a close game, and a good game of football to watch.”
TH – “I have no doubt it will be another close game between the two sides, with maybe extra time needed to separate the two of us.”
BATTLE OF THE JOE’S
Football NSW quizzed the two coaches of the Grand Final combatants, the two Joe’s – Joe Hayward of Northbridge FC, and Joe Di Giulio of Balmain Tigers – to try and find out a little about each team’s success during the 2013 campaign.
Football NSW started by asking Northbridge FC 1st Grade coach, Joe Hayward, what did he see as factors contributing to his team’s success in 2013 – “Firstly the strength and depth of the squad we’ve assembled. We have had a 22 player squad for most of the season, with all players able to contribute. I can look at the bench each week and know I can bring someone on who can do a job for me.”
Hayward added – “Secondly, the attitude within the squad has been brilliant. Even though we didn’t start the season too well, we stuck together, worked hard, fought for each other, and managed to come back and win the title.”
Keeping everyone happy has at times been a concern during the season – “Given how well we’ve been playing, I’ve had difficulty in picking the teams each week, and moreso, trying to explain to players who have missed out why they have missed out, and why are they playing in the Under 20s this week.”
Hayward continued – “We lost two of our central defenders in pre-season – Brad Crozier(broken leg) and James Goodwin(ACL) – and we had to replace them very quickly. Having said that, young 19 year old, Alex Hatzi, has been a revelation for someone so young, playing with maturity.”
The team has performed so admirably throughout, but I probed and asked Joe Hayward if there was an individual who has stood out in this Premiership winning campaign – “Undoubtedly Ricky Woodward, our captain. Ricky’s leadership has been a big factor in the team’s success, not only as captain, but he helps implement the strategy I want on the park, always motivating and leading by example.”
What does Hayward admire about their Grand Final opponents, Balmain Tigers – “I believe they have a similar set up to us, and try to play attractive football. They work hard for each other, never give up and have a tremendous team spirit.”
Finally, what will be the last message you give your players before they go out on Sunday afternoon – “I will tell my team to show everyone why we are the champions, why we deserve to be there, and to entertain and enjoy the occasion.”
Joe Di Giulio made the step up from coaching the Under 20s in 2012, and has had remarkable success in his first season as a first grade coach.
“One of the biggest challenges has been to make sure the boys ‘look after’ themselves off the park, to watch their diet and stay away from the alcohol, so they can stay as fit as possible,” stated Di Giulio.
“I also have found it somewhat difficult to keep the friction between all of the backroom staff and officials at a minimum. Everyone has a view, and everyone means well, so in the end we have all got on and the team has done well as a result.”
Over the 2012 off season, Balmain Tigers had a facelift of sorts, with plenty of the ‘old guard’ that did well to lift the profile of the club moving on. I asked Di Giulio what factors did he think contributed to the team’s success in 2013 – “First of all we have a very good group of players, very talented and they all get on with each other, on and off the park. Secondly, I have to give plenty of credit to the backroom staff, who not only have helped me in my job, but have made the players feel like professionals, as they do everything to look after the wellbeing of the entire squad,” added Di Giulio.
The ‘backroom’ staff Di Giulio refers to include Archie Kazas, the team;s experienced fitness trainer and medical officer, responsible also for the rehabilitation of injuries ; John Koletti, media manager, club development officer and game day official ; Chris Panayi, board member and game day official ; Fernando Roldan, first grade manager and gear steward ; and Tas Fiakos, the club’s football manager.
Di Giulio has plenty of respect for Balmain’s Grand Final opponents, Northbridge FC – “They are a very, very good side, always switched on to play, and very well coached. We know we need to play similarly to the way we played against Hakoah (in a 4-1 Preliminary Final victory) to have any chance of beating Northbridge on Sunday.”
What will be the final message Di Giulio will communicate to his charges before they enter the arena on Sunday afternoon – “I will simply tell my players to go out and enjoy themselves, don’t be nervous, just give 150% and do your best.”
Thank you to both coaches who gave their time and insights into Sunday afternoon’s Grand Final.
Both sides have met on three occasions in 2013, with Balmain victorious in both league encounters, whilst Northbridge won their semi final match up a fortnight ago. Do yourself a favour and make the trip out to Jensen Park on Sunday afternoon to see two of the most exciting teams in State League One football in the season’s showcase event.
The details of the U/20, U/18 and U/16 Grand Finals, to be played throughout Sunday, are as follows:
Grand Final – Under 20s
Dulwich Hill SC – Northbridge FC
Sunday, September 29 at 1-30pm @ Jensen Park, Sefton
Grand Final – Under 18s
Gladesville Ryde Magic – Inter Lions
Sunday, September 29 at 11am @ Jensen Park, Sefton
Grand Final – Under 16s
Western NSW Mariners – Hakoah Sydney City East
Sunday, September 29 at 9-00am @ Jensen Park, Sefton
Please click on the following link to access all the details of the 2013 Grand Final (please refer to the Football NSW website prior to kick off to confirm match details).
http://www.sportingpulse.com/comp_info.cgi?a=ROUND&round=4&client=1-9353-138477-253810-0&pool=1001
-By Frank Speranza
