Futsal Premier League 2 & AWD Futsal League 2 Review

The Futsal Premier League 2 trophy day delivered on its expected fill of high drama and excitement with nine terrific grand finals at Valentine Sports Park resulting in four different clubs holding a championship cup aloft.
Club champions Boomerangs FS won three of the seven matches they contested (Open Women, Youth Men & 13 Girls), with Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club collecting four trophies (17 Girls and the three Boys grades 16s, 14s & 12s), Phoenix Futsal one (15 Girls), while Raiders Futsal finally broke their hoodoo winning the prestigious Open Men’s category on the fourth try. Only three sides completed their premiership-championship doubles.
The day was punctuated by a gripping AWD Futsal League 2 final between Phoenix Futsal and a brave Raiders Futsal side that fell by a single goal.
AWD 2  – Champions Phoenix Futsal
12 Boys – Premiers & Champions Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club
13 Girls – Premiers Rangers Futsal; Champions Boomerangs FS
14 Boys – Premiers Sydney City Eagles; Champions Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club
15 Girls – Premiers Raiders Futsal; Champions Phoenix Futsal
16 Boys – Premiers Raiders Futsal; Champions Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club
17 Girls – Premiers Boomerangs FS; Champions Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club
Youth Men – Premiers Sydney City Eagles; Champions Boomerangs FS
Open Women – Premiers & Champions Boomerangs FS
Open Men – Premiers Sydney City Eagles; Champions Raiders Futsal
Open Men – Raiders shoot down Eagles
Raiders Futsal stunned Open Men’s premiers Sydney City Eagles 9-1 in front of a raucous crowd of 300-plus at Valentine Sports Park – seven different players netting in their thumping championship performance, which was due reward for a spirited Raiders outfit that’s endured three straight grand final defeats.
Raiders enjoyed the first few forays on the night with Damien Smith slogging his long-range blast just wide of the post, and a sharp attempt from Adam Savetta needed a good stop from Eagles keeper John Dimitrakis.
Sam Perre then went close for City with a nice dart inside complemented by a curling shot that missed by centimetres but it was Raiders who opened the scoring when a full-court quarterback throw from keeper Bojan Radmilo found its target sweetly with Slaven Ljuboja chesting down and with the angle closing spiraled his attempt toward goal, which was dragged in by a Sydney defender for a 1-0 scoreline a quarter-hour out from intermission.
It was 2-0 within minutes when Jovan Milanidovic followed up Kodai Hayashi’s dangerous centre, the diminutive Milanidovic pouncing on the rebound, turning sharply and snapping into goal to make it 2-0.
The City response was immediate with Radmilo forced into an excellent diving save to prevent Chris Hanly from scoring, but Sydney found themselves further behind as Milanidovic found Hayashi up-court with a sublime pass, Hayashi keeping his cool and waiting for Dimitrakis to react before sliding it around him for a 3-0 scoreline.
A fired-up Radmilo was at his best to foil the Eagles in a wave of City attacks, Raiders player Nelson Louang-Amath narrowly missing a sharp chance at the other end to extend his side’s lead before a relentless match was stopped for several minutes while Stephan Adattini received treatment to a nasty head-knock.
City’s Perre went on a mesmerising dance up court when play resumed only to see his goalbound shot superbly saved by Radmilo, and the Raiders defensive effort was further rewarded when Louang-Amath bulldozed his way past the last Eagles defender midcourt and went one-on-one with Dimitrakis and an excellent finish made it 4-0 at the changeover.
The premiers seemed more composed in the second term and Michael Candy had a nice try from the left extinguished by Radmilo, while Smith might’ve done better with a beautiful backheel pass from Raiders team-mate Christopher Godoy Bascur at the other end as both sides lifted a gear.
Dimitrakis was certainly the busier keeper and was doing a pretty good job with most of the Raiders attacks, stopping a Smith attempt in its tracks and trying to put some wind into the Eagles wings, but his opponents struck next with Smith running onto a brilliant through-ball and his first-time shot on the turn skittled under the City custodian for a five-goal advantage.
It was a super six with a quarter-hour left when player-coach Goran Ljuboja toe-poked toward goal and an under-siege Dimitrakis failed to hold it, but there was relief for City when a persistent Sam Perre finally found the mark collecting his own freekick rebound to slam it in off the inside of the post and give Eagles a faint glimmer of hope.
Dimitrakis was brave to charge down Smith’s look at goal and the Eagles had no choice but to move to a press 10 minutes from time, fifth-man Robert Perre whistling one past the post, but Raiders were throwing the kitchen sink in defence putting bodies on the line – Radmilo particularly salivating – as Godoy Bascur and Louang-Amath both booted full-court goals into empty nets and Goran Ljuboja added another from the spot for a dominant eight-goal victory.
Sydney City Eagles 1 (Sam Perre) Raiders Futsal 9 (Slaven Ljuboja, Jovan Milanidovic, Kodai Hayashi, Nelson Louang-Amath 2, Damian Smith, Goran Ljuboja 2, Christopher Godoy Bascur)
Sydney City Eagles: Peter Pelekanos, Sam De Marco, Cameron Caliguiri, Chris Hanly, Jamal Saliba, Michael Candy, John Dimitrakis, Robert Perre, Matthew Trotter, Michael Figirera, Sam Perre, Domenic Brackenridge, coach Tony Candy, assistant Frank Mam
Raiders: Ibrahim Daniel, Nicholas Ortega, Kodai Hayashi, Jovan Milanidovic, Damien Smith, Christopher Godoy Bascur, Adam Savetta, Goran Ljuboja, Slaven Ljuboja, Bojan Radmilo, Stephan Adattini, Nelson Louang-Amath, coach Goran Ljuboja, assistant Antonio Marco, manager Yako Rageed
Referees: Khodr Yaghi, Peter Liaros, Janush Adabjou
Open Women – Boomerangs pip Hakoah in shootout
Open Women premiers Boomerangs FS needed a penalty shootout to hold out a persistent Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club following a gripping 1-1 scoreline at the end of extra-time.
The match was up-tempo from the start as Hakoah’s Maddy Mirkovich cannoned one off the post with Easts keeper Toni Sharp doing well to stop Olivia Gurney’s attempt for Boomerangs at the other end of the court before Kate Halaska blasted one just wide for Eastern Suburbs, Gurney also narrowly missing again as the first goal seemed imminent.
Sharp certainly lived up to her surname in denying successive Najwa Allen efforts for Boomerangs and she dropped fast to stop Allen a third time as Boomerangs gained a slight upper hand midway through the opening period.
The Territorians were fortunate not to concede five minutes from the break when Lucy Rowland went to sleep in defence and lost the ball with Elinor Clarke slicing her shot just wide and Emma Scott testing Boomerangs keeper Jessica Giovinazzo as halftime appeared with a tight game still scoreless.
Halaska had the first good chance of the second half with a merry dance down the right followed by a shot that hit the side-netting and although both sides were showing great skill a chess game broke out with genuine chances few and far between.
The opening goal came with 12 minutes left as Amelia Turner burned one from outside the D and the ball bobbled through Sharp’s hands into goal for a 1-0 Boomerangs lead, which almost doubled immediately when Demarco cleverly played Turner free on the left but she dragged her shot across goal.
Turner sent another shot the same way moments later before some Sharp magic, who was pressing up court, sprinted back to first stop Demarco’s ranged blast with the rebound falling straight to Turner who had her strike smothered by the Easts custodian.
An ominous Turner just couldn’t get her open looks on target and it didn’t help when Mirkovich grabbed the ball inside the Boomerangs D and her poke toward goal deflected off Giovinazzo for the equaliser inside the final five minutes.
Hakoah pressed hard for the win sending Sharp up court again and again with the scores locked at 1-1 but the fulltime whistle sounded to signal extra-time.
Allen had a decent blast for Boomerangs in the bonus period and the travelers must thank Giovinazzo for her brilliant save to deny Scott and then snatch the ball on a follow-up attempt as the sides swapped sides for the final time.
A smart Demarco turn and snap at goal was well saved by Sharp and another Allen bomb went wide of the post before Sharp superbly denied Alex Martens and Allen in quick succession, and a gripping contest headed to a dreaded penalty shootout to decide the winner.
Allen, Martens and Gurney all hit the target for Boomerangs and while Kate Mitrevski and Halaska drilled home their penalties and unfortunate Elinor Clarke hit hers against the post to hand the trophy to the Territorians.
Boomerangs FS 1 (Amelia Turner) Eastern Suburbs Hakoah 1 (Maddy Mirkovich)
Boomerangs: Rachael Corbett, Najwa Allen, Sabrina Spinapolice, Alex Martens, Olivia Gurney, Natalie Demarco, Jessica Giovinazzo, Amelia Turner, Hayley McLachlan, Grace Basser-Silk, Eleni Haridemos, Lucy Rowland, coach Kristian Collins, assistant Sam Smith, manager Karen McLachlan
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah: Marsh Stephanie, Kate Halaska, Maddy Mirkovich, Toni Sharp, Elinor Clarke, Kate Mitrevski, Emma Aston, Tamara Viner, Grace Ha, Emma Scott, coach Babek Menati, manager Daniel Sharp
Referees: Matt McOrist, Taha Marabani, Kaine Mannell
Youth Men – Boomerangs break Eagles
Boomerangs FS sprang a surprise on Youth Men premiers Sydney City Eagles with a terrific 3-2 grand final win at Valentine Sports Park.
It was end-to-end action from the get-go with City’s Giuseppe Camera going closest with a strike that Boomerangs keeper Kai Thornton had to stop and from the ensuing corner Adrian Hadjisocratous let fly with a screamer from outside the D that only stopped when it crashed into the onion bag for Sydney’s opening goal on four minutes.
Eagles player Eoin Montford showed off his aerial prowess moments later with an audacious header on the fly from outside the D that went over the bar, while Boomerangs were slowly building some momentum halfway through the first period but unable to land a killer blow on the Sydney goal.
Jonathan Ciminelli had perhaps the closest Boomerangs attempt when his neat dribble to the left of goal freed up enough space to launch a strike that went narrowly wide, and five minutes from the interval the ACT club finally broke through when Nic Dahl and Chris Kazolis played a crisp one-two from the sideline, Dahl receiving the ball back and rounding a defender to tee up his successful drive on goal and peg the scores level at the changeover.
Boomerangs were unlucky not to score from the kickoff with a sprinting Michael Rinaudo unable to keep his strike on target, but it didn’t take long for the interstaters to grab a second when Grant Barlow pilfered the ball from the City defence, turned to find just second-half Eagles keeper Domenic Breckenridge to beat which he did clinically to push the Territorians 2-1 ahead.
It might’ve been a third a moment later had Breckenridge not parried away an excellent Rinaudo chance on the left as Boomerangs looked to get right on top of their opponents, but some gilt-edged misses proved costly when Nick Van Aalst (now in goals for Boomerangs) spilled a Mohamed Al-Taay strike and vocal Rob Perre was on hand to sneak in the equaliser with 10 minutes remaining.
The Boomerangs response went begging when a handball inside the D lined up Barlow for the spot-kick but Breckenridge produced an outstanding diving save to keep the score unchanged, Van Aalst proving just as inspired for the Territorians when he instinctively snatched a Perre one-on-one shot in front of goal.
Both sides went close when Rinaudo and Eagles player Mohamed Al-Taay ruffled the side-netting at either end and the match seemed destined for extra time until Nick Rathjen kept his cool with the seconds ticking down, dummied his shot from in front and laid off to Ahmed Ugool who stepped twice inside to get a better angle and had his shot deflect off a defender’s leg, lobbing over Breckenridge for the match-winning goal.
Sydney City Eagles 2 (Adrian Hadjisocratous, Rob Perre) Boomerangs FS 3 (Nic Dahl, Grant Barlow, Ahmed Ugool)
Sydney City Eagles: Robert Perre, Dimitri Konstantinidis, Mohamed Al-Taay, Eoin Montford, Giuseppe Camera, Cameron Caligiuri, Jason Zeballos, Michael Figueira, Yasser Al-Taay, Adrian Hadjisocratous, Domenic Breckenridge, Perry Kambitsis, coach Sam Perre, assistant Tony Candy, manager Matthew Trotter
Boomerangs: Jonathan Ciminelli, Grant Barlow, Nick Van Aalst, Ben Basser-Silk, Nic Dahl, Kai Thornton, Nick Rathjen, Michael Rinaudo, Chris Kazolis, Ahmed Ugool, Chris Smith, George Kazolis, coach Jason O’Dwyer, assistant Kristian Collins
Referees: Janush Adabjou, Cameron Lee, Roger Lee
 AWD Futsal League 2 – Phoenix defeat gallant Raiders
Phoenix Futsal had to fight tooth and claw for a captivating 3-2 AWD2 grand final win over a Raiders Futsal side that showed great tenacity and courage in going so close against the runaway premiers.
Phoenix had a couple of good sights on goal early in the match including a great freekick from 36-goal sharpshooter Sebastian Sauri that Raiders keeper Murray Elbourn saved superbly, Shaun Fitzpatrick going close at the other end before Elbourn produced another great block in goals to maintain the stalemate.
Phoenix did take the lead five minutes in with a deflected Vito Girrantino strike sizzling past a hapless Elbourn to put the ‘red & blacks’ one goal up, and they might’ve doubled the lead had an under-siege Elbourn not blocked another Phoenix attempt from right in front.
The ‘stripes’ then had to thank Nicole Simpson for her direction from the back and she also did well to stop a series of Raiders offences, but the ‘yellows’ eventually did draw level midway through the term when Sean Brown laid off for Fitzpatrick in front of goal to poke past Simpson for a 1-1 scoreline.
Phoenix got straight back into it from the kickoff and Elbourn was again terrific between the sticks, Sauri shooting narrowly wide before team-mate Harry Woodhouse smashed one in from distance to restore the Phoenix lead 2-1.
Wayne McDonough rattled the post for Phoenix and Elbourn was outrageous in punching away a Shawn Walford belt from range and then blocking a McDonough rocket to keep Raiders in the contest.
Fitzpatrick was doing his bit and a fantastic strike from outside produced the best from Simpson with a great tip over the bar, and the defensive display went rewarded with Sauri scoring at the other end to increase the Phoenix advantage to 3-1 at halftime.
Raiders started the second-half spritely with both Brown and Fitzpatrick going close, the latter having his attempt pushed onto the post by Simpson, while Elbourn was having a wow of a game with a great drop-save to deny a strong Raymond Young drive at goal for Phoenix.
Brown had another shot hit the post and Kevin Frew lined up a freekick from in front following a handball at the edge of the D, sending his power-drive just over the crossbar, and he found the back of the net seconds later finishing off some sustained Raiders pressure to narrow the gap to 3-2 a dozen minutes from the end.
Frew had a golden chance to equalise when Brown passed to him alone in the D with just Simpson in front of him but the custodian produced a great block to keep Phoenix in front.
McDonough couldn’t believe it when Elbourn showed extra bravery in another excellent save and Phoenix, who racked up 100 goals over summer, could only wonder what it would take to put the matter to rest with the Raiders glovesman in such scintillating form, even kneeing away a Walford bomb.
Simpson too was proving hard to beat punching away a Frew long-ranger as the clock ticked toward fulltime, and Phoenix held on to collect their second trophy of a terrific summer.
Phoenix Futsal 3 (Vito Girrantino, Harry Woodhouse, Sebastian Sauri) Raiders Futsal 2 (Shaun Fitzpatrick, Kevin Frew)
Phoenix: Nicole Simpson, Shannon Walford, Wayne McDonough, Vito Girrantino, Brooke Crossingham, Harry Woodhouse, Shawn Walford, Raymond Young, Sebastian Sauri, Andrew West, John Meehan, coach Greg Brown
Raiders: Murray Elbourn, Kevin Frew, Todd Dorward, Sean Brown, Shaun Fitzpatrick, Matthew Bowry, Kyle Schaberg, Anthony Telfer, coach Murray Elbourn
Referees: Kaine Mannell, Matt McOrist, Oascar Videan
17 Girls – Hakoah shock Boomerangs
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club upset 17-Girls premiers Boomerangs FS with a stubborn 2-1 win in the championship decider – their first win over the Territorians this summer.
Half-chances at both ends settled the teams, Siena Hoban sending a low drive across goal just past the post on five minutes and Rachael Corbett rattled the upright in response for Boomerangs.
Hakoah’s Eleni Bradley was a hair’s breadth away from opening the scoring when her run toward goal and snap-shot bashed the crossbar, but it was only seconds later that Easts finally made their early control count when Hanah Kelly dashed up court, drew the last defender and laid off for Lucinda Miller to smash home a 1-0 lead seven minutes from the interval.
Easts custodian Stephanie Marsh kept Hakoah’s noses in front with successive saves as the Territorians looked to level, while Bradley maybe should’ve passed to a sprinting Kelly with only Boomerangs keeper Eleni Haridemos to beat, Bradley’s shot sailing wide as a tight match went to the changeover one goal the difference.
The second half began with Boomerangs looking to get on the board, Alex Martens send her shot just too far across goal and Marsh blocking Corbett’s missile with her legs before producing another stop to keep the score unchanged, Hayley McLachlan also shooting wide for the ACT-based club.
The Boomerangs breakthrough finally came following a glut of territory and possession when Martens dished deliciously for Amy Abbey to coolly finish off in front of goal and bring the sides level once more at 1-1 midway through the term.
Haridemos had to make sure of a Bradley effort for Easts to keep the score even and the Boomerangs keeper was even better in charging out to stop Kelly alone in front of goal, but she could do nothing as moments later the ball went to Bradley at the far post and she drilled it in to hand Hakoah a 2-1 lead.
There was action at both ends as Boomerangs pressed with three minutes remaining, Hakoah’s Kelly hitting the post from halfway with only the goal-line to beat and with just seconds left Martens had a last-ditch shot for Boomerangs clang against the post with the fulltime whistle sounding and Easts still 2-1 up.
Boomerangs FS 1 (Amy Abbey) Eastern Suburbs Hakoah 2 (Lucinda Miller, Eleni Bradley)
Boomerangs: Rachael Corbett, Alex Martens, Amelia Turner, Hayley McLachlan, Grace Basser-Silk, Eleni Haridemos, Ineka Voigt, Amy Abbey, Sonia Pasquariello, Ashlyn Garrity, Alicia Meuronen, Maddie Perceval, Bella Tammaro, coach Sam Smith, assistant Kristian Collins, manager Karen McLachlan
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah: Stephanie Marsh, Erin Madeisky, Toni Sharp, Siena Hoban, Sinead Hayes, Ella Cusack, Jordan Weizman, Eleni Bradley, Lucinda Miller, Hanah Kelly, coach Andrew Hall, manager Maria Bradley
Referees: Oscar Videan, Kaine Mannell, Julian Nichols
16 Boys – Hakoah halt Boomerangs
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club brought a great run from Boomerangs FS back down to earth with a convincing 4-0 win in the 16-Boys decider.
After both sides dismissed premiers Raiders from the finals race it was Hakoah who struck first through an excellent Lincoln Charles drive into goal in the first minute of play.
Easts could’ve gone further ahead with Boomerangs shotstopper Josh McCarthy doing a great job to deny a Hakoah attempt with a neat foot-trap, and the Territorians were a centimetre away from equalising following a swift counter that John O’Gorman shot just wide of the post.
Hakoah was next to attack with Felix Kerameas rifling a strike into side netting and although Boomerangs were terrific in a desperate goal-line clearance they weren’t as good marking up from the ensuing corner with Kerameas free at the top of the D to smash the ball into goal for a 2-0 buffer seven minutes from the interval.
A quick release from Easts glovesman Guy Squadrito gave Jake Besser a chance to add to the tally but his tap past McCarthy went the wrong side of the post, and the upright was in the way of successive Aswin Adinanto and Jacob Lees strikes before the ACT keeper also chimed in with an excellent parry as Hakoah sought to underline their halftime advantage.
Boomerangs upped the ante after oranges and Squadrito dropped superbly to deny Jack WIlliams’ shot from distance and then watched Connor Falusi’s strike drift just wide of the post, a couple of feisty challenges also bringing the game to life.
McCarthy was carded after his trip brought down Tal Weiner outside the top of the D and a well-worked freekick almost coming off for Easts with Kerameas’ ultimate strike rebounding off a goal-line defender and somehow around the post for a corner.
The Boomerangs keeper was kept busy by a relentless Hakoah attacking unit and produced a couple of excellent stops until Kerameas wound back and unleashed from the left to take Easts to a three-goal buffer with seven minutes remaining, and it was 4-0 seconds later when Charles rounded McCarthy and snuck it into goal from an acute angle.
It could’ve been further trouble for the Territorians as they entered sixth-foul territory but McCarthy kept their slimming hopes alive with an excellent stop, and Squadrito was equal to the task to keep a rampaging Boomerangs out at the other end – Easts proving way too good in the end with a four-goal margin.
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah 4 (Lincoln Charles 2, Felix Kerameas 2) Boomerangs FS 0
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah: Guy Squadrito, Aswin Adinanto, Felix Kerameas, Jacob Lees, Charles Manning, James Reed, Jake Besser, Tal Weiner, Elliott Lipschitz, Josiah Gwozdecky, Lincoln Charles, Jacob Zasadzki, Daniel Da Rocha, coach Robert Eziekel, coach Jordan Mundell, manager Martin Lipschitz
Boomerangs: Harry Williams, Connor Falusi, Savan Brankovic, Jack Williams, Parsa Tabatabaei, Josh McCarthy, Massimo Piccirillo, Konrad Piccirillo, Will Manalo, Callum Foster, David O’Gorman, John O’Gorman, Robert McKay, coach Mark Dowling, assistant Jake Wilsener, manager Laz Falusi
Referees: Roger Lee, Lachlan Abood, Cameron Lee
15 Girls – Phoenix break Boomerangs
With premiers Raiders out of the way it was left to Boomerangs FS and Phoenix Futsal to fight for the 15-Girls honours, and what a battle it was with fourth-placed Phoenix clinging onto a 2-1 scoreline for a memorable grand final win.
An even start to the contest saw half-chances at both ends as the teams probed each other’s defence, Phoenix concentrating on possession while Boomerangs looked for opportunities on the counter.
Territorian keeper Olivia Riddel did well to drop-and-stop Lauren Pruscino from opening the scoring for Phoenix, also tipping wide a Sarah Moore bash, but she was drawn out too far moments later and left her goal exposed for Leila Hezlett to drill home from right in front and lift Phoenix 1-0 up.
Boomerangs looked to get going with Alicia Meuronen rattling the woodwork midway through the half and the Phoenix shotstopper had to parry away a Matic blast moments later, while Phoenix’s Jorja Roctor had her attempt collected easily by Riddell, the final say going to Boomerangs’ Elissa Youill who whistled one past the post to close out first-half proceedings.
Phoenix sprinted out of the blocks in the second term with Victoria Martin quick on the break and her shot flicked away, but only as far as Natasha Disciascio whose strike smashed off the underside of the crossbar and over the line to hand her side a two-goal break.
Boomerangs were straight back in it when Emma Ilijoski was left alone outside the D and she rifled the ball into goal to halve the deficit 2-1 with a quarter-hour still to play.
Moments later Pruscino did well to muscle her way into the D for Phoenix only for her low drive to cannon out off the post, and Meuronen did the same for Boomerangs at the other end with a sharp strike against the crossbar as the woodwork kept the score unchanged.
Ashlyn Garrity chimed in for Boomerangs with a ripping shot on the break palmed away by Phoebe Rudd now in goals for Phoenix, and with three minutes left the Territorians had to go fifth-man, going close to leveling on two occasions as Rudd came to her side’s rescue with a couple of great stops while Ilijoski (four-goal hero in the 13 Girls final) missed an open net in the dying seconds with Phoenix 2-1 in front at fulltime.
Boomerangs FS 1 (Emma Ilijoski) Phoenix Futsal 2 (Leila Hezlett, Natasha Disciascio)
Boomerangs: Bella Tammaro, Sonia Pasquariello, Charlotte Grandy, Ashlyn Garrity, Alicia Meuronen, Maddie Perceval, Cecilja Matic, Olivia Riddel, Lucy D’Arcy, Sally James, Stella Demarco, Emma Ilijoski, Elissa Youill, Maria Pachi, coach Kristian Collins, assistant Nick Van Aalst, manager Dave Perceval
Phoenix: Isabel Gomez, Maya Braun, Georgina Markovich, Jorja Roctor, Olivia Femia, Talia Ozcan, Victoria Martin, Lauren Pruscino, Natasha Disciascio, Leila Hezlett, Sarah Moore, Phoebe Rudd, coach Albert Disciascio, assistant John Jiggins, manager Carol Disciascio
Referees: Julian Nichols, Tara Brown, Manwel Limnios
14 Boys – Hakoah hurdle Eagles
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah produced a stunning grand final performance to beat Sydney City Eagles 7-4 and claim the 14-Boys championship – the competition’s top-two sides racking up an incredible 41 goals in four fantastic summer fixtures.
The premiers began strongest and camped themselves inside Hakoah’s half for the opening few minutes, Easts keeper (12 Boys player) Daniel Solsky producing a stunning push over the bar to deny William Gafa’s long-range missile and Michael Osei-Adomarko became a blur as he cantered upcourt like a freight train to nudge his one-on-one against Solsky just wide of the post.
Hakoah had a couple of half-chances in the deadlocked game but it was Solsky keeping Hakoah in it, the diminutive figure casting an imposing figure in front of goal to prevent City from scoring, although they were lucky a Dean Pelekanos shot deflected past the post with Solsky headed the wrong way.
And in a flash Easts hit the front when Ethan De Melo combined beautifully with Henry Bickerstaff who delivered from close-range to take a 1-0 lead, which lasted about a minute when Pelekanos seized his moment in front of goal with a booming strike that strained the back netting to tie the scores up in an exciting clash.
Polsky was in enviable form and his reflex stops to deny Pelekanos on two occasions – one from a deflected freekick through traffic – and then smother Chogi Koko’s charge into the D was inspiring.
Hakoah returned to the front a minute from halftime when Jay Mcgowan broke free and as he seemed to stumble outside the D sent a sizzling shot across goal that beat Eagles custodian Nicholas Hoenselaars as Easts led 2-1 at the break.
The lead doubled a minute after the restart when Hesan Soufi was left alone at the top of the D and buried his shot for a 3-1 advantage, and it was a three-goal cushion in the blink of an eye when Ethan De Melo brought down Adam Strasser’s sharp touch ahead and held his nerve to slide it under Hoenselaars and take Hakoah out to 4-1.
City responded in fine style with a sweeping move that Koko finished off after Damien Tsekenis had laid off to Michael Osei-Adomarko and Eagles were back in it at 4-2 down, while goal-line clearances at both ends of the court demonstrated the players’ commitment.
Dynamic Easts duo Soufi and Bickerstaff then combined for the next two goals, the latter latching onto two sweet Soufi dishes to take the score to 6-2 midway through the half and also seal his grand final hat-trick.
Dual fingertip saves from Solsky kept the Eagles at bay and some outstanding defence paid off when Zac Sapsford had the easiest of tap-ins following Bickerstaff’s great lay-off, William Gafa pulling one back for City five minutes from fulltime.
It was suddenly 7-4 when Osei-Adomarko sublimely backheeled Gafa’s good pass into goal and the lanky City target agonisingly smacked one against the upright as the game finished in a flurry with Easts hanging on for a three-goal victory – Solsky proving the biggest difference in a phenomenal performance for Hakoah.
Sydney City Eagles 4 (Dean Pelekanos, Chogi Koko, William Gafa, Michael Osei-Adomarko) Eastern Suburbs Hakoah 7 (Henry Bickerstaff 3, Jay Mcgowan, Hesan Soufi, Ethan De Melo, Zac Sapsford)
Sydney City Eagles: William Gafa, Dean Pelekanos, Bradley Tapp, Jayden Calver, Michael Osei-Adomarko, Damien Tsekenis, Ryan Duffy, Chogi Koko, Nicholas Hoenselaars, coach Roy Perre, assistant Christopher Gafa, manager Rosemary Sollecito
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah: Daniel Solsky, Sasha Chilas, Zac Sapsford, Ryan Collins, Jay Mcgowan, Joh Sawa, Hesan Soufi, Timothy Scott, Maxim Gwozdecky, Kyle Devine, Adam Strasser, Henry Bickerstaff, Ethan De Melo, coach Adriano De Melo, manager Paul Collins
Referees: Lachlan Abood, Oscar Videan, Feddy Al Alami,
13 Girls – Boomerangs edge past Rangers
Boomerangs FS held on for a thrilling 5-4 win over Rangers Futsal in an absorbing 13-Girls grand final, the premiers falling just short of overtime after trailing by three goals midway through a draining second half.
Rangers got off to a flyer and pressured the Boomerangs goal with keeper Olivia Riddel doing well with a couple of stops, but she incidentally carried a save over the byline and from the resulting corner Rangers went ahead through a superb Lauren Pennell strike.
The lead was shortlived when the first serious Boomerangs raid saw Emma Ilijoski unleash from the left with the ball trickling through the hands of Rangers keeper Chloe Carmichael into goal to draw the sides level again.
The Territorians then put their noses in front on five minutes when Ilijoski was on hand to nudge home a tricky delivery past Carmichael and the game ebbed and flowed until a moment of brilliance from Rangers’ Anna Vassallo who touched past two defenders on the sideline and sprinting upcourt crunched a low drive across goal and past an outstretched Riddel to restore parity six minutes from the break.
Vassallo went close to pushing Boomerangs back in front with a sideline freekick that whistled past the post while Rangers probed three times at the other end without success, and as halftime loomed Ellen Brown delivered for Boomerangs with a thumping drive that gave them a 3-2 edge at oranges.
It was 4-2 within seconds of the restart as Ilijoski found space up front to drive home a terrific strike and Boomerangs were looking secure with shellshocked Rangers restricted to pot shots from distance.
Charmichael produced a great drop-save to prevent Ilijoski from adding another goal to the scoreline and counterpart Riddel was also doing an outstanding job, one parry in particular sparking a Boomerangs raid that Ilijoski pounced on with her fourth goal taking the score to 5-2.
Rangers refused to lie down though and Riddel couldn’t hold a stunning Pennell strike that bounced into goal to narrow the gap midway through the half, Riddel making amends moments later with an amazing block to stop a rampaging Pennell one-on-one close-range opportunity.
Rangers had to go to a fifth-man press with five minutes remaining and Pennell was brilliant with a drive that broke the back of the net to give her side encouragement trailing 5-4 inside the last two minutes, but Boomerangs held their nerve for a thrilling victory.
Rangers Futsal 4 (Lauren Pennell 3, Anna Vassallo) Boomerangs FS 5 (Emma Ilijoski 4, Ellen Brown)
Rangers: Sarah Bezzina, Chloe Carmichael, Sarah Polinsky, Georgia Hinde, Ayisha Asad, Olivia Schembri, Lauren Pennell, Anna Vassallo, Annie Daczko, Holly Pender, Sarah Bezzina, Sally James, coach Scott Daczko, manager Kirt Janssen
Boomerangs: Lillian Geale, Olivia Riddel, Lilli Thomas, Lucy D’Arcy, Ellen Brown, Stella DeMarco, Emma Ilijoski, Maria Pachi, Leah Geale, Carla Di Fronzo, Cecilja Matic, Sally James, coach Mark Dowling, assistant Alex Martens, manager Vy D’Arcy
Referees: Tara Brown, Veronica Wolf, Feddy Al Alami
12 Boys – Hakoah beat Boomerangs
12-Boys premiers Eastern Suburbs Hakoah proved decisive in a 5-1 defeat of Boomerangs FS to take the summer’s double-trophy.
Easts had the more composed start and went on the front foot early with both Tye McGowan and Jared Frack testing Boomerangs keeper Callum Cook in the opening exchanges before Bailey Sorenson went close at the other end for the Territorians, Hakoah custodian Daniel Solsky parrying his ranged blast over the crossbar.
The game turned on its head when somewhat against the run of play Boomerangs pilfered the ball and embarked on a 3-on-1 fastbreak with James Stoddart laying it right for Sorrenson to cross into the D, and Noah Dowling made no mistake from right in front to finish off a crisp counter and take the ACT-based side 1-0 up after five minutes of exciting play.
Cook was having a good game with the gloves and made sure his side stayed in front with a series of solid stops but he couldn’t prevent Hakoah’s equaliser when Josh Fuchs chested down inside the D and with the Boomerangs defence closing in chose to dish off to an open Frack who showed his gratitude with a good finish to level the scores at 1-1.
The Boomerangs glovesman was at his best when a looping Frack header looked goalbound until the big mittens of a scrambling Cook tipped it wide, but Easts finally took the lead five minutes from the interval after Frack rifled a great centre for Lee Charles to run onto and poke into goal to lift the premiers 2-1 in front at halftime.
Hakoah controlled the second-half tempo and had a splattering of chances, while Boomerangs’ Odhran Traynor launched a freekick bomb that an acrobatic Solsky palmed over the bar, the Territorian rocket launcher sending a second freekick just wide of the post a minute later.
The premiers increased their advantage midway through the term as Edward Bickerstaff delivered a dangerous drive into the D that went as far as Fuchs, who slammed it past Cook for a 3-1 scoreline.
Cook was under fire and a desperate Boomerangs defensive line doing everything it could to stay in the contest but Easts took a giant stride toward sealing the result following a Brickerstaff centre that Lee Charles tapped into goal for a 4-1 lead five minutes from fulltime, and it was all over when hat-trick hero Charles was left alone at the far post and only needed to nudge it past Cook for a four-goal cushion by the end.
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah 5 (Jared Frack, Lee Charles 3, Josh Fuchs) Boomerangs FS 1 (Noah Dowling)
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah: Daniel Solsky, Jared Frack, Tye Mcgowan, Edward Bickerstaff, Joseph Feldman, Ethan Corrick, Josh Fuchs, Lee Charles, Brad Benstock, Jake Ziman, coach Adriano De Melo, manager Geoff Ziman
Boomerangs: Callum Cook, Samuel Godwin-Wiseman, Odhran Traynor, Sebastian Woods, Jak Matic, James Stoddart, Bailey Sorenson, Noah Dowling, Kieren Allen, Ethan Barac, Thomas Barbatano, coach Zac Sorenson, assistant Nick Van Aalst, manager Rod Cook
Referees: Manwel Limnios, Feddy Al Alami, Lachlan Abood 
-By Dan De Nardi