Round 2 Review – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Men’s
In an intriguing second round of play in the PlayStation4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Men’s competition, Blacktown Spartans continued their splendid start to the season with a 3-2 victory over Central Coast Mariners, a win that sees Luis Costigiani’s fledgling side sitting pretty on top of the table, with goal difference separating them from fellow unbeaten outfit Marconi.
Western Sydney Wanderers showed they will again be a force to be reckoned with following a comprehensive 5-1 victory at Bankstown City, while the upset of the round occurred at Lilys Football Centre where St George bounced back from conceding five goals in an opening round loss, to stun newly-promoted Hills Brumbies 2-1. Here’s a roundup of all the matches.
Match of the Round
Blacktown Spartans 3 Central Coast Mariners 2
IN A TALE of two halves, Blacktown Spartans on Saturday night continued their unbeaten start to the PlayStation4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Men’s season with an exciting 3-2 victory over Central Coast Mariners at Blacktown Football Park.
Ogun Dullak grabbed a brace to give his side a 2-0 lead at the break but a resurgent Mariners struck back with goals to Shelford Dais and substitute Duncan Stewart, only to see Spartans’ Mohamad Rahimi snatch an 85th minute winner.
Spartans coach Luis Costigiani was impressed with his young team’s grit and discipline but refused to get carried away so early in the season.
“I’m very happy with the boys’ performance, especially their discipline,” Costigiani told Football NSW. “Central Coast is a quality team and even after we led 2-0 at halftime, we knew they were capable of coming back, which they did.
“But we never gave up at any stage of the game and to score the winner late in the match showed that even though we’re a young, inexperienced team, we play for each other and give 100 per cent. When you do that, anything’s possible. But having said that, it’s too early in the season to read too much into our start to the season. But if we continue to work hard, anything’s possible.”
Spartans started well with Alex Boyadijan looking dangerous and causing problems for the visitor’s defence. Mariners’ keeper Adam Pearce, however, had no trouble dealing with Boyadijan’s two attempts on goal.
Mariners Peter Kekeris also showed plenty of panache, displaying pace, skill and the ability to beat a man.
Spartans definitely had the better of the early exchanges but despite the Mariners’ slow start, the visitor’s showed glimpses of their class, with swift movement and precise passing creating space in the Spartans’ defence. But such passages of play were rare and on a number of occasions lapses in concentration at the back and disrespect of possession almost proved costly. Spartans however, were unable to capitalise.
The first real opportunity of the match came in the 13th minute when Mariners’ livewire Charles William shot wide. Kekeris followed up with a rasping effort, only to be denied by impressive Spartans goalkeeper and former Australian schoolboys representative Domenic Nascimben. Central Coast continued to struggle at the back and in the 29th minute conceded a penalty when Spartans’ Michael Konestabo was upended inside the box. Ogun Dullak stepped up and beat Pearce from the spot to give the home side a deserved 1-0 lead.
Buoyed by their advantage, Spartans continued to pressure the Mariners and were rewarded with a second goal, an ambitious long-range free-kick by Dullak that bounced and then somehow trickled its way past a sleepy defence and into the back of the net. At 2-0, the locals continued to press but the Mariners missed a golden opportunity to bridge the gap when in the 43rd minute, Charles William couldn’t take advantage of a one-on-one duel with Nascimben.
Apart from William’s miss, a disappointing Central Coast created no clear-cut chances in the opening half, whereas Spartans created many to hold a 2-0-halftime lead.
Mariners coach Ben Cahn said that his boys were frustrated during the halftime break but some tactical changes allowed the visitors to change the complexion of the game.
Indeed, Central Coast showed their intent after the break and in the 61st minute an inch-perfect William cross from the left was met by Shelford Dais, who side-footed the ball into the back of the net.
Despite the setback, the Spartans continued to attack and in the 63rd minute Mohamad Rahimi went close to extending his side’s lead with a well-taken free kick from just outside the penalty box. Konestabo also went close but goalkeeper Pearce did enough to deny the Spartans their third. Alessandro Pecora managed to beat the Mariners’ keeper but his header from a Kojiro Hori freekick rattled against the bar.
Spartans may have held the advantage but Central Coast gradually inched their way back into the game. Kekeris took off on a run down the left only to see his rasping shot fly over the bar, while Nascimben denied William at the near-post.
At the other end, Pearce was again brought into action, punching clear a Spartans corner before Aaron White volleyed over the bar.
But in the 77th minute Central Coast equalised when substitute Duncan Stewart latched onto a perfect cross from Brenton Fox to head past a despairing Nascimben.
With the momentum swinging Central Coast’s way, Kekeris set off on a brilliant solo run only to see that man Nascimben pull off a yet another great save. A minute later, Nascimben again denied Kekeris, keeping his side alive by the perennial skin of their teeth.
In the 84th minute Spartans cried for a penalty as Pecora took a tumble inside the box, but referee Trent Nash wasn’t convinced and waved play on. That call didn’t matter a minute later, when, from a goalmouth scramble, Rahimi prodded home what proved to be the match-winner.
To their credit, the young Mariners continued to attack and seek an equaliser, but the damage was done and Blacktown Spartans held on to claim an unlikely victory.
Mariners’ coach Ben Cahn was disappointed with the result and acknowledged that yet again, his side’s naivety in defence and inability to capitalise on opportunities in the front third, proved to be costly.
“We knew we could beat this team and we knew we were better than them and we proved that in the second half,” Cahn told Football NSW. “We had complete domination of the game, complete control, but football is about what you do at either end of the pitch and you need to be ruthless at both ends.
“We made some really good tactical changes at halftime and once we changed our shape a little bit we got complete control of the game and could’ve scored six, seven, eight. Once we got back to 2-2 and had done the hard work, we looked like we were going to win it but again naïve defending cost us. The result is a similar story to last season and a similar story to the Marconi game last week. It’s very disappointing.”
Match Stats
Blacktown Spartans 3 (Ogun Dullak 2, Mohamad Rahimi) Central Coast Mariners 2 (Shelford Dais, Duncan Stewart)
Saturday 11 March 2017 at Blacktown Football Park
Referee: Trent Nash
Assistant Referees: Paddy Reynolds, Matthew Sheath
Blacktown Spartans: 1. Domenic Nascimben, 2. Daisan Kim, 4. Tiano Boutoubia, 5. James Letta, 6. Mohamad Rahimi, 7. Michael Konestabo (9. Garang Awac 78’), 8. Aaron White, 10. Kojiro Hori, 11. Alex Boyadijan (20. Mitchell Cross 74’), 16. Alessandro Pecora, 23. Ogun Dullak (42. Jacob Forster 63’)
Subs not used: 15. Andre Giolosa, 20. Mitchell Cross
Yellow Cards: 4. Tiano Boutoubia, 23. Ogun Dullak, 2. Daisan Kim
Coach: Luis Costigiani
Central Coast Mariners: 1. Adam Pearce, 2. Shelford Dais, 5. Charles William, 6. James Enticknap, 7. Lachlan Wales (15. Yerasimakis Petratos 63’), 8. Thomas Lyons, 9. Brenton Fox, 11. Peter Kekeris, 14. Sean Pratt (10. Duncan Stewart), 16. Gianni Stensness (19. Jordan Lane), 18. Steve Whyte
Subs not used: 3. Jake Mcguinness, 20. Aidan Munford.
Yellow Cards: 2. Shelford Dais, 8. Thomas Lyons
Coach: Ben Cahn
Bankstown City 1 Western Sydney Wanderers 5
WESTERN SYDNEY Wanderers showed their premiership credentials with a crushing 5-1 victory over Bankstown City Lions at Jensen Park on Saturday night. The visitors led 1-0 at halftime thanks to a goal to Mario Shabow but stepped up a gear in the second half to run away with the spoils.
The Wanderers’ display would’ve given the rest of the competition a reminder that the young guns from Sydney’s West willl again be a serious contender for premiership honours.
Wanderers coach Trevor Morgan was impressed with his side but he conceded that their performance was similar to last week’s one-all draw with Mt Druitt.
“We dominated possession again but while Mt Druitt last week defended deep towards the end of the game, Bankstown decided to play a high line and play the offside trap, which didn’t work for them,” Morgan told Football NSW. “Bankstown moved forward, looking for goals, which allowed us to take advantage on the counter.”
So what impressed Morgan the most about his side’s performance?
“We asked them to do a few things during the week, one of which was very simple, to move the ball a little bit better,” he replied. “It was so basic but when we moved the ball on Saturday night we were a little bit better at it. Our first goal came from some excellent football and some good decision-making. So I was very happy with that. They dominated Mt Druitt the week before but weren’t able to get the win. In this game, we again had 60 per cent possession but this time we scored the goals.
When asked to who stood out for his side, Morgan made special mention of 16-year-old Kosta Grozos. “I’ve been watching Kosta in training over the last month or so and he’s really been trying to improve his game so I decided to give him a start and he was excellent,” Morgan said. “He played as a 10 and he set up the first goal and was involved in other really vital plays for us. It’s good for him and pleasing for us in general.”
Unlike other PS4 NPL NSW 2 Mens clubs, where winning is the primary objective, academy sides like Western Sydney and Central Coast are more concerned with developing players with the potential to step up to the A-League.
“We have a very young side whose average age is about 18, which is what (A-League coach) Tony Popovic wants,” Morgan explained. “And while we want to win every game we’ve got to be realistic because sometimes older players can teach the young kids a lesson. But we’d rather test them in those conditions and have them lose the odd game to see which ones have the extra quality and potential to step up to the next level. A lot of them did really well last night and there was some good execution from us in front of goal.”
While such a comprehensive defeat would have been a shock to the Lions, they need to regroup quickly and work hard on developing combinations with what is virtually a brand-new lineup. Their next opportunity comes quickly as they face local rivals Bankstown Berries this Wednesday in a catch-up game from Round 1.
Losing the likes of former Socceroo defender Michael Beauchamp and prolific striker Christopher Gomez won’t be easy for the Lions, and new coach John Caruana certainly has a job ahead of him.
Bankstown City Lions 1 (Huseyin Jasli) Western Sydney Wanderers 5 (Mario Shabow, Liam Youlley, Abraham Majok, Rami Najjarine, O Puflett)
Saturday 11 March 2017 at Jensen Park
Bankstown City: S. Tarazona, 1. Dion Shaw(GK), 3. A. Becerra, 4. Billy Darwich, 5. Jeffrey Issa, 6. Aaron D’Mello, 7. Bruno Pivato, 8. David Mcmurray, 9. N. Todoroski, 11. Huseyin Jasli, 12. Steven Veleski, 14. M. Lucic, 15. A. Tolomeo, 17. Adem Kir, 21. H. Timms (GK), 27. A. Gauci.
Yellow Cards: 1. Dion Shaw (GK), 17. Adem Kir
Coach: John Caruana
Western Sydney Wanderers: 1. M. Syron, 2. L. Campbell, 3. A. Kuku, 4. H. Davies, 8. C. Abou Serhal, 10. Emmanuel Gonzalez, 11. Kosta Grozos, 18. O. Puflett, 21. Mario Shabow, 25. Liam Youlley, 26. J. Bandiera, 40. N. Suman, 42. Keanu Baccus, 47. Rami Najjarine, 49. Abraham Majok, 50. Tariq Maia
Yellow Cards: 25. Liam Youlley
Coach: Trevor Morgan
Marconi Stallions 1 Macarthur Rams 0
MARCONI STALLIONS made it two wins from as many starts when they defeated Macarthur Rams 1-0 at Marconi Stadium on Saturday night, with the Rams’ Simon Valastro scoring an own goal early in the first half.
Marconi coach Tony Candy said his side dominated the match and could easily have bagged five or six goals, but it wasn’t to be.
“We should’ve scored in the first two minutes and had many opportunities to run away with the game but we just couldn’t score,” Candy told Football NSW. “But the most important thing for me was winning the three points and gathering 21 points over all three grades, which gives us the lead in the Club Championship. That for me is our priority.”
Marko Jesic and Sean Rooney were standouts for the Stallions, with Jesic in particular in excellent form in the first half; while former Socceroo Michael Beauchamp played a steady hand at the back.
Macarthur’s Danny Lazarevski was shown a red card just on the half hour mark after a reckless tackle on Marconi’s Sam Burfoot, who will be assessed by a doctor on Tuesday. Lazarevski’s dismissal should’ve changed the complexion of the game, but unfortunately for the Stallions, they were unable to capitalise on the extra man and the opportunities created.
“We created a lot of chances which was very positive and while we didn’t capitalise – and let’s be honest, we should’ve won by six or seven – Macarthur stayed positive and actually played very well in the second half.,” Candy said. “Credit to them they pushed us and probably could’ve equalised.”
Marconi Stallions 1 (Simon Valastro own goal) v Macarthur Rams 0
Saturday 11 March at Marconi Stadium
Referee: Chris Young
Assistant Referees: Adam Weir, John Lalic
Marconi Stallions: 1. N. Vekic, 4. D. Alsaad (11. S Perre), 5. M. Beauchamp, 6. R. Coletta, 7. M. Pavlovic, 8. S. Rooney, 10. M. Jesic, 14. P. Pelekanos, 18. P. Triantis, 23. C. Nunes, 25. S. Burfoot, 11. S. Perre, 21. K. Sekutkoski, 22. B. Vella, 24. R. Darko, 42. F. Monge
Subs not used: 21. K. Sekutkoski, 24. R. Darko, 42. F. Monge
Coach: Tony Candy
Macarthur Rams: 1. N. Matic, 2. C. Cooley, 3. D. Lazarevski, 4. S. Valastro, 7. F. Martey, 8. M. Trotter, 10. B. Cornish, 14. K. Abduljabbar, 15. M. Versi,,16. M. Di Pietro, 23. G. Codrea, 5. R. Suters, 13. K. Aguilar, 17. S. Arakawa, 19. J. Ward, 20. B. Needham
Subs not used: 13. K. Aguilar, 17. S. Arakawa, 20. B. Needham, 19. J. Ward
Yellow Cards: 15. M. Versi
Red Card: 3. D. Lazarevski
Coach: Bill Pilovski
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 1 North Shore Mariners 1
MT DRUITT TOWN Rangers and North Shore Mariners shared the spoils in a controversial one-all draw at Popondetta Park that saw a Mariners player sent from the field and Mt Druitt having a late goal disallowed for offside.
The home side opened the scoring in the first half through Japanese import Hiten Satoh but Marquin Smith equalised for North Shore just on the stroke of halftime.
Satoh’s goal was well constructed, with Lachlan Roberts getting behind the Mariners’ defence and cutting back from the byline for the Japanese to side-foot past the Mariners goalkeeper. Smith equalised for the visitors with a header at the back post in the 44th minute.
“We had 60 per cent possession and couldn’t score another goal,” Mt Druitt coach Aidan Desmond told Football NSW. “Then the referee disallowed a goal in the 89th minute, which would have won us the match. It’s very disappointing.”
When asked who the standouts were for his team, Desmond replied: “I thought that the back and middle thirds were all pretty tidy, they just needed to be clinical. We’re missing our nine (Kuag Reec) and ten (Nathan Ralph), which is really hurting us.”
Reec and Ralph are among several players missing from the Rangers’ starting eleven, with ankle and hamstrung injuries respectively, a scenario that Desmond hopes to be rectified in the near future.
“Nathan played 45 minutes in the 20s yesterday so he’s on his way back to full fitness but we’re not sure when we’ll see Kuag back on the field. I could do with both of them at the moment.”
When asked what the difference was between the two sides, Desmond said: “The Mariners were well organised but I think our lack of quality in the top third hurt us. We created enough chances but we’ve just got to be better.”
While Mt Druitt is missing several players from their lineup, Mariners coach Joe Haywood is also working hard on developing new combinations, a considerable challenge given there are 11 new players in his squad.
“There’s a lot of boys there from the 20s and the average age of the team is around 22,” Haywood recently told Football NSW. “There’s plenty of youth in the squad but plenty of potential too, which is quite exciting.”
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 1 (Hiten Satoh) North Shore Mariners 1 (Marquin Smith)
Saturday 11 March at Popondetta Park
Mt Druitt Town Rangers: 1. C. Saliadarre (GK), 2. H. Satoh, 3. B. Griffin-Colls, 5. D. Mavisa, 6. A. Vlismas, 7. L. Clifford, 8. M. Clowes, 11. M. Mclintock, 12. N. Trimble, 13. L. Darkoh, 14. D. Mccann, 15. A. Guzman, 16. S. Goodwin, 18. J. Dib, 21. J. Tinker, 23. L. Roberts
Coach: Aidan Desmond
North Shore Mariners: 1. J. Law, 2. L. Miller, 3. C. Lindsay, 10. B. Cheng, 11. F. Ankumah-Sey, 13. M. Smith, 16. C. Woo, 18. M. Smith, 20.J. Mbakwe, 21. A. Davis, 23. C. Desa, 26. H. Forlico, 27. R. Kerr, 28. M. Stojanovski, 31. C. Deblaere, 36. S. Giglio (GK)
Coach: Joe Haywood
Spirit FC 2 Bankstown Berries 1
IN A GRITTY battle at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday night, Spirit FC clawed their way to a 2-1 victory over Bankstown Berries.
Good mates David Perkovic (Spirit FC) and Perry Moustakas (Berries) clashed for the first time as coaches and according to the Berries mentor, aside from the result, the game played out as expected.
“The game was pretty much how I thought it was going to be, two teams that play a similar style,” Moustakas told Football NSW. “Me and David being friends, we talk about football non-stop, so it was always going to be an arm wrestle and it was just that for a long period of time.
“But you know what, football is beautiful sometimes, to get my first game as a coach against David was really something special.”
Newly signed Spirit FC striker Christopher Gomez suffered a dislocated ankle late in the first half, forcing Perkovic to amend his gameplan. But despite the setback, Perkovic said his side was probably slightly better than the Berries, “but only by an inch”.
“We created some good opportunities,” he added, “but the Berries were a difficult side to break down.”
After a goal-less first half, Domenic Hudap opened the scoring for the Berries, but an unfortunate own goal by Tomohiro levelled the scores before Jake Harris grabbed the winner for the home side.
“We had the better chances, but Spirit had their chances too,” Moustakas lamented. “In the second half we started strong, got in behind them a few times and scored for 1-0. And then Spirit lifted and we conceded an unlucky own goal. They had a good 10-15 minutes where they really got on top of us. Maybe a draw would’ve been a fair result, but that’s football. You take the good with the bad and move forward.”
Despite the setback, the Berries will again be in action on Wednesday night when they play the washed out encounter against local rivals Bankstown City. “The catch-up game against Bankstown gives us an opportunity to try to make last night’s wrong a right,” Moustakas said. “We’re looking forward to that.”
So what impressed The Berries coach about his side’s performance?
“It wasn’t a great day at the office but even though we lost our way a bit, the fighting spirit was there, which I think is the most important thing,” Moustakas replied. “There were a lot of disappointed players in the dressing room after the game, which is good. Now the boys are looking forward to getting back into it against Bankstown so they can get things right.”
Perkovic on the other hand said that his side was rewarded for its efforts in the final third and at 1-1 Spirit had a bit more belief than the opposition.
“For us to have the belief to come back from 1-0 down and to win says a lot about the character of this squad,” Perkovic said. “That, for me, was the most impressive part of our performance.”
When asked to name his standouts, Perkovic nominated captain Grant Cornwell, left back Andy Robertson, whose overlapping run and cross led to the equaliser; and goal-scorer Jake Harris. “All round it was a decent performance but obviously we have a long, long way to go in terms of where we need to be and there are definitely things that need to be rectified, as you’d expect in Round 2.”
Spirit FC 2 (J Harris) Bankstown Berries 1 (D Hudap, H Tomohiro O.G.)
Saturday 11 March at Valentine Sports Park
Spirit FC: 1. M. Nelson (GK), 3. J. Musgrave, 4. M. Streeter, 5. A. Robertson, 6. A. Doyle, 7. J. Harris, 8. G. Cornwell (C), 9. C. Godoy Bascur, 10. C. Gomez, 11. D. Whitlock, 12. L. Bozanic, 17. Y. Samba, 18. B. Gibson, 19. T. Lovell, 22. D. Von Dinklage, 26. J. Webb
Yellow Cards: J Harris, D Whitlock, T Lovell
Coach: David Perkovic
Bankstown Berries: 1. C. Taylor (GK), 2. D. Tripodi, 3. D. Di Ruocco, 5. J. Combes, 6. M. Farmer, 7. K. Ewart, 8. D. Hudap, 9. G. Forbes, 10. V. Giannini, 11. A. Vais, 12. J. Bradshaw, 15. P. Moustakas, 17. D. Fornito, 19. H. Tomohiro, 20. N. Mouzourakis, 21. J. Dimitrakas
Player Coach: Perry Moustakas
Hills Brumbies 1 St George 2, Lilys Football Park
ST GEORGE upset the form guide with an unlikely 2-1 victory over Hills Brumbies at Lilys Football Centre on Saturday night.
After a 5-3 drubbing to Blacktown Spartans in Round 1, Saints somehow managed to grind out an away win against a side many are expecting to challenge for honours at the end of the season.
St George coach Terry Palapanis was happy with the result and the character showed by his players, who did exceptionally well to turn around their fortunes within six days.
“We were more disciplined as a unit (than last week) and the boys were a bit more compact,” Palapanis told Football NSW. “We opened up last week and obviously after conceding so many goals we needed to shore up the defence a bit.
“We didn’t play particularly well but our attitude was very good and we took our chances. Winning when you’re not playing well is always a good thing.”
Despite the win, Palapanis was impressed by the Brumbies, who he said were “a very good side and very mobile”. “Let’s just say they were unlucky and probably felt hard-done-by for not winning the match. We weren’t great but showed good character to grind out a result.”
St George took the lead in the first half through a Nico Paras free kick. The Brumbies equalised through Jordan Parfait before Saints’ central defender Jaden McLeod grabbed the winner off a deflection in the second half.
Palapanis nominated McLeod, midfielder Rob Deasy and import Orman Okunayia as his standouts.
Meanwhile, Brumbies coach Dan Sheppard was disappointed with his side’s performance and rued a missed opportunity. “We didn’t play very well and we were off our game,” Sheppard told Football NSW. “But even though we were off our game we still created chances but couldn’t finish. We missed two open goals and if you can’t score open goals, you’re not going to do much.”
The Brumbies mentor added that individually his side was very poor, but if they’d played to anywhere near their potential, “it wouldn’t have been a competition”.
“Even in eight minutes of injury time we had St George pinned inside their own box but we just couldn’t break through,” he said. “We had no quality inside the box.
“Despite the loss, the character, effort and determination showed by the boys was very good. They didn’t give up and the way they applied themselves was brilliant. It was just the lack of quality that was extremely disappointing.”
Mounties Wanderers v Northern Tigers
IN THE FINAL match of Round 2, Northern Tigers beat Mounties Wanderers 2-1 at Valentine Sports Park on Sunday.
In warm temperatures on a fine and sunny afternoon, Zac Sfiligoi opened the scoring for Mounties with a well-taken free kick before Ryan Peterson grabbed an equaliser from close range. The two sides went to the break with the scores level at one-all.
Mounties coach Lee Sterrey said his side dominated the first 25-30 minutes and despite scoring the opener, butchered several other opportunities in front of goal.
“We were good for at least a two-goal lead and we played some good football,” Sterrey told Football NSW. “The second half was pretty even and again we had three to four clear goal-scoring opportunities, one-on-ones with the keeper, including one where we missed the target altogether.”
Unable to make the most of their opportunities Mounties paid dearly when the Tigers launched a swift counterattack deep into the second half that resulted in an unfortunate own-goal by fullback Anthony Schmidt, who shanked the ball into his own net.
Despite the setback, Mounties continued to search for an equaliser, and while Sterrey said his side again butchered a number of opportunities, the Tigers held on to win.
“Northern Tigers don’t often lose back-to-back games and after losing their opening match last week, they came out hard today,” Sterrey said. “But I think that not only did we deserve a point from that game, we actually threw away three points. We had at least seven or eight one-on-ones today and scored from none of them. It’s a bitter pill to swallow but unlike last week we played some really good football today. Our front three of Mitch Davidson, Michael Gaitatzis and Reid Turner need to take responsibility. Between the three of them they had two to three one-on-ones with the keeper themselves. We’ve got to score in those situations. Having said that, I’ve come away with a 2-1 loss but feeling comfortable with the football we played. We deserved a hell of a lot more than zero points out of the game.”
Meanwhile, victorious Tigers coach Mark McCormick agreed with Sterrey that Mounties had the better of the opening quarter, “but after that, I thought we dominated and created a lot of chances”.
“We probably could have scored a few more had we concentrated better in the final third. But I’m happy to get our first win this year.”
When asked what the difference was between the two sides, McCormick said: “When we were on the ball, we were patient at times and tried to create chances rather than pushing it, which we’ve done in the past. I think our patience showed in the end and our ability to keep the ball under pressure.”
McCormick added that while his side’s victory was a collective effort, he made special mention of Michael Rolston, Joe Hardwick and Lachlan Hughes.
-By Derek Royal
