Mens State League Two Grand Final Preview

Vintage Sydney United Sports Centre will sizzle on Saturday night as host venue for this year’s Mens State League Two championship battles.

After what can only be described as a riveting 2014 division two competition, where the top-four dash in both grades and club championship went down to the wire, it’s very fitting to offer two classic grand final match-ups at one of Australian football’s most iconic football grounds.

With premiers Hurstville FC out of the picture the first grade title bout boils down to a heavyweight clash between Southern Bulls and Rydalmere Lions (6pm kickoff), while the grade-20 decider features premiers Rydalmere Lions against second-placed Prospect United (3.30pm).

The major event will be on rain, hail or shine at the pristine Edensor Park ground (which has plenty of parking and undercover seating), so come along and join in what promises to be the perfect season finale. Check the Football NSW website for more information.

Southern Bulls vs Rydalmere Lions

Batten down the hatches and hold on to your nerves when Southern Bulls meet Rydalmere Lions in a blockbuster Mens State League Two grand final at Sydney United Sports Centre on Saturday evening (6.30pm kickoff).

Second-versus-fourth underlines how close it was between this year’s top-four teams, and you couldn’t ask for a more salivating contest with the competition’s most in-form sides making the end-of-year decider.

Southern’s gone 10 games unbeaten since a tight 1-0 round-nine loss to premiers Hurstville (their only other defeat was 1-0 to Prospect), although a frustrating six winter draws (five at home) dampened their premiership aspirations.

Rydalmere have endured just one defeat since round seven (to Minotaurs last month), scoring 28 goals in that 11-game window to wrap up fourth place (a point behind Bulls) and then knock Prospect and Hurstville out of the finals to set up a chance to avenge last year’s heartbreaking 1-0 grand final loss to Stanmore Hawks.

It’s been an interesting 2014 for the grand final combatants. Eight years ago both clubs were in Super League and their separate fall didn’t reunite them until the 2011 division one winter, with both dropped to division two following last year’s competition reshuffle.

Coming into 2014 Lions had won six straight state league fixtures against Bulls (all but one by two goals or more) to leave a decade-long gap since Southern’s last victory over Rydalmere.

But Bulls were brilliant in a gritty 1-0 win at Rydalmere Park in May, Leigh Gunn striking home a second-half matchwinner, and Jason Garrido provided the heroics in July’s return bout by nailing a sensational diving header to cancel out Emile Damey’s earlier Lions goal and stalemate the scoreline at 1-1.

Rydalmere’s guns blasted a league-high 40 goals in 18 runs this year, slightly better than Southern’s second-best 36 strikes in 17 games but Bulls have the defensive prowess conceding a league-low 14 goals (including six cleansheets) against 18 Lions goals leaked (second-best).

Then there’s Rydalmere rocket Amoury Gauthier, who’s scored 12 goals since coming to Lions almost 11 weeks ago, to complement established creative duo Joel Silvestre (5) and Julian Aguirre (4) – Nathan Attard scored seven goals before he left Lions after the fifth round.

Southern have their own weapons and Jason Garrido (8), Leigh Gunn (5) and Nathan Niski (5) head a long list of multiple scorers, and this Saturday night’s finale’s set up to be one heck of a match!

Premiership-winning Hurstville FC coach Steve Zoric lost out to Lions in the preliminary final and tipped his conquerors to go all the way. “I think Rydalmere; I tip them. They’re a good football-playing team,” he said. “They’ve got great ball players, speed… not to take anything away from Bulls, they’re a good side, but I think Rydalmere will go one better this year.”

Southern coach Ramsin Shamon knew it’d be a tough game no matter who they faced this weekend but blew off suggestions a three-week layoff due to the Sydney rain would make his side a little rusty.

“I’m looking forward to a high-intensity match between two football teams that actually play decent football,” he said. “It will be a tight struggle. Both games this year have been very close as there’s a very similar structure in the way we both play; whoever takes their chances will win it.”

“We’ve got a very tight-knit confident group of boys who’ve trained very well since October last year and they know how to win. They know what it takes and we’re just waiting for the day to showcase how good this team this.

“The delayed break has actually allowed us to regroup as a squad and iron out a few niggling injuries. We’ve spent quality time as a team at training and we’re ready!”

Lions coach Tony Basha (a former Bulls star) took all the pressure off his players heading into this weekend’s big game. “[Key player] Kingsley Williams twisted his ankle and doesn’t look good for the final… but it was always going to be tough for us.”

“Southern Bulls are like the Manchester City of state league two with all the [resources] and big-name players they have … we’re like Stoke City – we’ll really battle against them. We’ll approach it as normal and just go with the flow; you don’t want to change too much.”

“I’m just so proud of the boys for making both grand finals. For me, yes, to win the grand final I’ll be proud of myself but I could never take the accolade away from the players for what they’ve done this year – the grand final is the achievement every player wants.”

Grade 20 – Rydalmere Lions vs Prospect United Preview

2014 grade-20 premiers Rydalmere Lions are hunting a championship double when they meet hungry Prospect United at Sydney United Sports Centre on Saturday afternoon (3.30pm kickoff).

While the saying ‘all that glitters isn’t gold’ has no reverberation for a near-perfect Rydalmere season (they registered 41 points from a possible 48 to blow away the other teams by over 10 points), there’s no way Lions will treat a red-hot Prospect lightly.

United troubled the competition favourites in every contest this winter, a 0-0 stalemate at Rydalmere Park in May followed by a dramatic 3-2 Lions win at William Lawson Park in July’s return fixture, and a 10-man Rydalmere had to pull out every trick to edge ahead of Prospect 3-2 in an epic major semi-final at William Lawson just three weeks ago.

The Lions stats are equally as impressive: one loss in 17 matches, 52 goals scored (18 more than next-best United) and just 16 goals conceded… but they face a Prospect side that actually fields the league’s best defensive line (a miserly 14 goals leaked in 18 outings) to give them great confidence in being able to keep a tight game.

And though United’s arsenal has been a little sluggish (10 goals scored in their first 11 games, including three scoreless rounds), they’ve certainly found form in front of goal at the right time of year, banging home 24 strikes in their last eight runs to show they do have real firepower.

Southern coach Ramsin Shamon (who watched Prospect demolish the young Bulls 6-0 in last week’s preliminary final) called this weekend’s grade-20 match-up a “David versus Goliath grand final” – but David only needed one rock, one opportunity, and one moment to win the day… this will be a cracker!

-By Dan De Nardi