SELECT Futsal Premier League Grand Final Review
A spectacular SELECT Futsal premier league grand final day saw thousands come in and out of Valentine Sports Park on Saturday for a feast of gourmet sports action.
Seven different clubs won trophies – two each going to club champions Mountain Majik (17 Girls, 13 Girls), Dural Warriors (Open Men, Youth Men) and Inner West (Open Women, 15 Girls), while Mascot Vipers (16 Boys), Campbelltown Quake (14 Boys), Enfield Allstars (12 Boys) and South Coast Taipans (AWD div 1) all bagged one.
Seven of the 10 grand finals were top-two showdowns, and premiers won on six occasions, the biggest boilover coming when fourth-placed Campbelltown stunned premiers Inner West to claim the 14 Boys crown.
AWD div 1 premiers South Coast Taipans champions South Coast Taipans
12 Boys premiers Mascot Vipers champions Enfield Allstars
13 Girls premiers Mountain Majik champions Mountain Majik
14 Boys premiers Inner West Magic champions Campbelltown Quake
15 Girls premiers Mountain Majik champions Inner West Magic
16 Boys premiers Mascot Vipers champions Mascot Vipers
17 Girls premiers UTS Northside champions Mountain Majik
Youth Men premiers Dural Warriors champions Dural Warriors
Open Women premiers Inner West Magic champions Inner West Magic
Open Men premiers Dural Warriors champions Dural Warriors
AWD: South Coast Taipans 6 (Steven Delovski, Rocco Musumeci 2, Patrick Mitchell 2, own goal) Sydney City Eagles 1 (Bradley Southwell)
12B: Mascot Vipers 3 (Connor Stamatis, Justin Poon 2) Enfield Allstars 5 (William Freney 2, Adrian Pini 3)
13G: Mountain Majik 4 (Bronte Connolly, Mary Stanic-Floody, Saskia Vos, Paris Kambouris) Enfield Allstars 1 (Claudia Cicco)
14B: Inner West Magic 1 (Zayne Aluwahlia) Campbelltown Quake 5 (Jack Herdman 3, Joel Bertolissio, Lucas Kotevski)
15G: Mountain Majik 2 (Isabella Sciberras, Greta Kraszula) Inner West Magic 3 (Ailish Mcdonagh, Taylor Bondy 2)
16B: Mascot Vipers 3 (own goal, Ethan De Melo, Emmanuel Tzanakes) South Coast Taipans 2 (Tyson Black, Alex Masciovecchio)
17G: Mountain Majik 5 (Emily Dorahy, Greta Kraszula, Monique Holder, Victoria Martin, Leila Hezlett) Inner West Magic 1 (Annalise Schiraldi)
YM: Dural Warriors 8 (Carlos De Oliveira 2, Ahmed Sweedan 2, Peter Xenos 2, Brandon Vella, Tallon Zahra) Campbelltown Quake 2 (Bradon Clissold, Tyler Allen)
OW: Inner West Magic 2 (Doris Osman, Rhianna Pollicina) Dural Warriors 1 (Rachel Perrins)
OM: Dural Warriors 4 (Brandon Vella 2, Matthew Leroy, Ahmed Sweedan) Inner West Magic 2 (Daniel Fornito 2)
12 Boys – Enfield pip Mascot
Enfield Allstars won an entertaining 12 Boys decider at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday morning, an Adrian Pini hat-trick – including an equalising spot-kick on fulltime – spearheading the 5-3 victory over top-seeds Mascot Vipers.
A cagey start from both sides opened up when Enfield’s Dimitri Diniotis touched a long Jai Wright throw ahead and rifled a shot that was smothered by Mascot keeper Max Vartuli who followed up with a diving effort to deny Edmun Haddad a minute later, and then a double-save in front of goal to stop William Freney from scoring.
The premiers were on the back foot early and only some desperate defence and the long arms of Vartuli kept the game scoreless, but a clever intercept at halfway turned the tables when Connor Stamatis was gifted a one-on-one chance and calmly slotted past Wright to hand Vipers a 1-0 lead against the run of play midway through the first term.
With the clock ticking to halftime Vartuli was at his acrobatic best as a goalmouth scramble popped the ball loose to Javier Rodriguez 7m out from goal and his missile somehow tipped over the bar by the Mascot custodian from a kneeling position, and seconds later he dropped low to deny from right in front as Vipers held their slender advantage at the break.
Allstars drew level within a minute of the restart when Freney was stopped by a double-tackle at the top of the D and Adrian Pini was first on hand to tuck the loose ball under Wright for a 1-1 scoreline.
Enfield almost hit the front when Pini cannoned his close-range effort off the post, Vartuli pushing Haddad’s strike wide and then breaking up an Allstars break to keep the score unchanged.
Mascot’s Thomas Hynes also went close as his shot clipped the upright on the way out but it was Pini who turned the game Enfield’s way as he snaked through some tight defence to somehow slide the ball past Vartuli for a 2-1 lead five minutes from the end.
Before you could bat an eyelid the match flipped again when Justin Poon scored twice in a minute, first capitalising on being left open inside the D and then finishing off a Vipers break in fine style to put Mascot in front for the first time, 3-2.
There was more drama to come when a sixth Vipers foul gave Pini the chance to level scores on the buzzer and he made no mistake with a pinpoint spot-kick that sent a thrilling game into extra time.
Bonus period saw the match continue its high intensity and subbed-in Mascot keeper Aayan Jagavkar was excellent in a double-save that stopped Allstars from scoring, but he couldn’t prevent Freney from finding the back of the net with a neat angled shot that returned Enfield to a 4-3 lead.
Some inspiring Jagavkar goalkeeping kept Vipers in it but they couldn’t conjure up a breakthrough and Pini sealed the deal with a last-minute goal to underpin an amazing 5-3 Allstars victory. The two sides have managed a whopping 40 goals in their four season meetings.
Pini didn’t underplay his team’s tenacity, nor his own contributions that culminated in a last-ditch spot-kick to send the game to extra-time and end a golden summer with 26 goals.
“I didn’t think of the pressure as that might’ve made me miss it, I just focused on where I wanted to smash it and that’s where it went,” he said.
“I think when we went 4-3 up they dropped their heads a bit and we just wanted it more… but it was a great grand final.”
Assistant coach Rob Foti praised the youngsters and tipped them to be stars of the future.
“Full credit to the boys; they played very well and I think [Mascot’s] keeper [Vartuli] stopped the score from blowing out; but that shows character that when things aren’t going their way they can still find a way to win. I think they’ll take plenty away from this Futsal experience,” he said.
Mascot Vipers 3 (Connor Stamatis, Justin Poon 2) Enfield Allstars 5 (William Freney 2, Adrian Pini 3)
Mascot Vipers: Elad Bendavid, Mikah Chillas, Joseph Hatem, Thomas Hynes, Aayan Jagavkar, Leonardo Maximovich, Hugo Mezei, Justin Poon, Liam Rippon, Connor Stamatis, Max Vartuli, Leo Latter, coach Steve Tzanakes, manager Fred Hatem
Enfield Allstars: Antonio Caruana, Jeremiah Cleur, Junaid Codmani, Dimitri Elias Diniotis, Adrian Duric, William Freney, Edmun Haddad, Adrian Pini, Javier Rodriguez, Jai Wright, Rhys Youlley, Jordan White, coach Ernesto Bivona, assistant coach Robert Foti, manager Angelo Conte
Referees: Manwel Limnios, Guy Lee, Jamie Ewin
13 Girls – Majik down Allstars
Mountain Majik underlined their lofty season finish with an impressive 4-1 victory against Enfield Allstars at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday morning.
The match wasn’t a minute old when the premiers hit the front, Bronte Connolly with a solid shot from just outside the D that ruffled the onion bag to give Mountain Majik the early advantage before a real arm-wrestle took place with both sides working hard at both ends.
Enfield keeper Thea Draganova was particularly good barking instructions to her team-mates and then backing it up with a superb diving save that stopped Mary Stanic-Floody’s goal-bound strike a few minutes from the interval, but Stanic-Floody found her mark seconds later when she finished off a sweeping Majik move to give Mountain a 2-0 halftime buffer.
Majik were determined to kill the match off with an early second-half onslaught but Draganova had other ideas culminating in a brilliant stop of Peyton Crye, and the defensive display reaped dividends when Enfield countered and Claudia Cicco struck home to halve the deficit and suddenly Allstars were full of steam.
Both sides scraped the woodwork as the match went back-and-forth, Draganova dropping swiftly to smother Gemma Ferris’ attempt a metre out from goal and her counterpart Mountain keeper Anna Norton doing the same at the other end to ensure the one-goal difference remained.
Majik took giant strides to victory when Saskia Vos powered home a long-range effort to go 3-1 up with five minutes left to play, and team-mate Paris Kambouris netted moments later to seal a 4-1 win.
Competition high-scorer Clare Holder (26 goals) got through a mountain of defensive work to help guide her side.
“I wanted to hold the team together from the back and we needed to be strong as a unit as Enfield played really well and showed they also wanted it. We had the better luck today,” she said.
Mountain coach Tiana Gauci applauded her side’s application. “It was an ugly win but we expected a tough game and the girls just did what I asked of them. Our fourth 13 Girls grand final in a row underlines the club’s development strategy,” she said.
Mountain Majik 4 (Bronte Connolly, Mary Stanic-Floody, Saskia Vos, Paris Kambouris) Enfield Allstars 1 (Claudia Cicco)
Enfield Allstars: Jin Yoo Bell, Claudia Cicco, Aurelia Collins, Keira Danes, Leah De Oliveria, Thea Draganova, Sharina Harris, Kiara Holyoake-Caceda, Chantelle Maniti, Lani Mcauliffe, coach Ferdinand Maniti, manager Tianna Draganova
Mountain Majik: Bronte Connolly, Peyton Crye, Gemma Ferris, Clare Holder, Paris Kambouris, Anna Norton, Avaani Prakash, Mary Stanic-Floody, Saskia Vos, coach Tiana Gauci, assistant coach Scott Daczko, manager Belinda Ferris
Referees: Riad Wazzi, Oliver Lawton, Samuel Blake
14 Boys – Quake stun Magic
Campbelltown Quake completed their fairytale finish to the 14 Boys season with a 5-1 triumph over Inner West at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday morning.
The underdogs got into the playoffs on goal-difference and knocked out Mascot Vipers 4-3 then Mountain Majik 2-1 before stunning premiers Inner West in the final – a Jack Herdman triple taking him to a staggering 31 goals for the summer.
First-half chances were at a premium as solid defence at both ends made life miserable for the targets, Magic’s Peter Kontis coming closest with a powerdrive that Campbelltown glovesman Thomas Butkovic steered round the upright and with seconds left Joseph Calusic touched a crisp cross over Butkovic that rebounded off the crossbar as the game stayed scoreless at the break.
The breakthrough finally came two minutes into the second term when Inner West’s Zayne Aluwahlia lined up a freekick just outside the D that he smashed past the wall and into the top corner to give his side the lead.
It was shortlived however as within seconds of the restart Campbelltown’s Adrian Segecic sent a delicious ball over the top to Jack Herdman inside the D and his sublime control and volley on the turn hit the back of the net to level the scores, and Quake led a minute later when Joel Bertolissio tapped in a rebound following a saved Segecic shot.
Butkovic was seeing plenty of action as the premiers tried to hit back, sailing to his left to push wide a Calusic blast, but it was Campbelltown who struck next when Herdman rifled in an angled strike and followed up with a close-range header to put Quake 4-1 up, and Lucas Kotevski finishing the rout with a last-minute goal.
Purple-heart hero Herdman laughed off the suggestion everything he touched turns to goals. “I’ve had a good summer scoring but it’s been a real team effort. We’ve got the best keeper in the league and everyone was hungry today; it was good team unity,” he said.
Coach Brett Hewit was chuffed. “I’m very proud… it’s the first time we beat them this season,” he said. “We actually led the comp after Christmas but dropped our intensity, but I always knew we could beat them on the day.”
Inner West Magic 1 (Zayne Aluwahlia) Campbelltown Quake 5 (Jack Herdman 3, Joel Bertolissio, Lucas Kotevski)
Campbelltown Quake: Tomas Butkovic, Joel Bertolissio, Jack Herdman, Lee Thoroughgood, Adrian Segecic, Will Provino, Jett Mccue-Shore, Corby Fowler, Callum Powell, Nicholas Duarte, Damon Pratt, Lucas Kotevski, coach Brett Hewit, manager Brad Thoroughgood, manager Tomislav Butkovic
Inner West Magic: Zayne Aluwahlia, Zac Begetis, Sebastian Boffa, Daniel Bosnich, Joseph Calusic, Jacob Churchill, James Khoury, Peter Kontis, Jared Macerola, Nicola Petrusevic, Clayton Rasmussen, Clayton Taylor, coach Matteo Maiorana, manager Lina Boffa
Referees: Melik Ibrahim, Jared Brett, Manwel Limnios
15 Girls – Magic edge Majik
Inner West Magic pulled off a stirring 3-2 victory over 15 Girls premiers Mountain Majik in a riveting Saturday matinee at Valentine Sports Park.
A brisk Inner West start saw Majik keeper Amity Jackson stop Gemma Gray’s close-range attempt before Ailish Mcdonagh pushed her one-on-one chance onto the post with Jackson beaten, the custodian dropping well moments later to prevent Mcdonagh’s low drive from finding the net and later diving left to tip clear another Gray strike.
With halftime approaching Magic keeper Ashley Purcell became the centre of attention as she produced a series of brilliant stops and then threw long for Mcdonagh to latch onto, trap the ball and shoot past Jackson for the opening goal just before the changeover.
Subbed-in Majik keeper Chloe Carmichael came in for a baptism of second-half fire with a string of Magic chances stymied by the shotblocker, including closing down an open Mcdonagh at the top of the D; and the efforts should’ve gone rewarded when Mountaineers Isabella Sciberras fluffed an open look at the other end following a bulldozing effort from Monique Holder to get past and through three defenders.
Diminutive target Sciberras made immediate amends when she got hold of a Holder lob forward and squeezed her way through two defenders inside the D before sliding the ball past Purcell for the equaliser, but Majik were behind again within seconds as Taylor Bondy let fly with an absolute speculator from distance that clipped the crossbar and dropped over the line for Inner West to regain the lead 2-1.
Both sides were flying and the game was back on even terms eight minutes from the end when Mountain’s Greta Kraszula drove low into goal only for Magic to return fire straight away, Bondy taking advantage of some clumsy defending to ricochet the ball over Carmichael for a 3-2 Inner West edge.
A fifth-man Majik press made for a barnstorming finish but Magic held firm to win by the narrowest of margins.
Coach Rhianna Pollicina said everybody did their job. “I’m stoked! Credit to Mountain Majik as they are a great team as well, but I can’t single out anyone in my team – an individual doesn’t win the game, you need a team to take the court and everyone gave 100 per cent,” she said.
Mountain Majik 2 (Isabella Sciberras, Greta Kraszula) Inner West Magic 3 (Ailish Mcdonagh, Taylor Bondy 2)
Inner West Magic: Taylor Bondy, Tahlia Franco, Bryleeh Henry, Gemma Gray, Ailish Mcdonagh, Jessica Nash, Jessica Neville, Jamison Pope, Ashley Purcell, Olivia Schembri, Alyssa Schwereb, Alexandra Whiteside, coach Rhianna Pollicina, manager Yumi Bondy
Mountain Majik: Pene Bonovas, Chloe Carmichael, Annabelle Daczko, Clare Holder, Monique Holder, Sheiden Jabour, Amity Jackson, Greta Kraszula, Isabella Sciberras, Scarlet Thomas, Anna Vassallo, coach Tiana Gauci, assistant coach Scott Daczko
Referees: Jamie Ewin, Samuel Blake, Riad Wazzi
16 Boys – Vipers strangle Taipans
Mascot Vipers took out the 16 Boys premiership-championship double following a 3-2 win against South Coast Taipans at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday afternoon.
It took all of 30 seconds for South Coast to go ahead when an innocuous Tyson Black shot went straight through Mascot keeper Sasha Chillas’ hands for a gift of a goal, Taipans custodian Kaydin Harrison ensuring the lead remained when he blocked an open Adam Strasser at the top of the D, Chillas doing the same at the other end to keep Vipers close.
South Coast doubled their advantage when a length-of-the-court canter saw Alex Masciovecchio overtake everyone and round Chillas to smoothly slot home a Taipans second midway through the first term; Mascot weren’t without their chances and some scrambling defence kept the 2-0 scoreline at the interval.
The premiers were right back in it a minute into the second term when Ethan De Melo’s stab rebounded off a Taipans defender into goal to halve the deficit, subbed-in Vipers keeper Oskar Beck also doing well to ensure South Coast didn’t capitalise on any opportunities, and Mascot’s perseverance paid off when De Melo played a neat one-two and finished off nicely to restore parity with a quarter-hour still to play.
Harrison was superb in preventing Tim Scott from pushing Vipers ahead while Beck produced an outstanding double-stop at the other end as both sides picked up the tempo, a Harrison violation ultimately giving Mascot the opening they needed when competition high-scorer Emmanuel Tzanakes powered home the top-of-the-D freekick with three minutes remaining – his 20th of a stellar summer.
Tzanakes scored the matchwinner but he admitted his team had to find something extra to get out of jail. “It was a good game as South Coast played really well and made us dig deep to pull it out of the bag,” he said. “When we were behind Zvi [coach Ben David] said to show some character and I think we did that.”
Ben David had to wipe water from his eyes – not tears but a post-game celebratory drenching from his players – following Mascot’s win.
“Never in doubt,” he said wryly. “I had absolute faith in the players, and this is what we cherish – an against-the-odds come-from-behind grand final victory! But it’s also important they have a good time, enjoy each other’s company and learn from the game.”
Mascot Vipers 3 (own goal, Ethan De Melo, Emmanuel Tzanakes) South Coast Taipans 2 (Tyson Black, Alex Masciovecchio)
South Coast Taipans: Samuel Amey, Cody Ashburner, Tyson Black, Jayden Bojlevski, Kaydin Harrison, Connor Magaisis, Alex Masciovecchio, Rocco Mellino, Joshua Montgomery, Riley Nicholl, Jayden Smileski, Noah Vidler, Jayden Bojlevski, coach Charlie Mellino, assistant coach Mineo Bonetig, manager Bradley Peryman
Mascot Vipers: Oskar Beck, Sasha Chillas, Ethan Demelo, Fenn Hodgson-Yu, Yanni Plataniotis, Peter Politis, Thomas Quilligan, Tomas Rozman, Timothy Scott, Adam Strasser, Emmanuel Tzanakes, Samuel Tzanakes, Jeremy Starakas, coach Zvi Ben David
Referees: Peter Liaros, Kaine Mannell, Melik Ibrahim
17 Girls – Majik break Magic
Mountain Majik proved too good for Inner West Magic in a comfortable 5-1 victory that gained them the 16 Girls trophy at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday afternoon.
Majik drew first blood in the third minute when the ball fell in front of Emily Dorahy at the far post and her tap-in put Mountain 1-0 up, a long-range Dorahy belter whistling past the post a minute later as the Green Machine looked to assert their control over fourth-place bolters Inner West.
Magic almost drew level when Lara Bosnich let fly with a strike that Majik keeper Regan Hill had to palm away but it was the Mountaineers to trouble the scorers next when Greta Kraszula buried her chance from 6m out and put her side two goals ahead.
Hill would tip a Bosnich strike over the bar as Inner West inched closer but it would be 3-0 three minutes from the break when Kraszula pilfered the ball near halfway, passed inside to Monique Holder who coolly touched past the last defender and struck past Magic keeper Stephanie Marsh.
It looked to be plain sailing for the Mountaineers until Inner West grabbed a lifeline a minute later via a sneaky Annalise Schiraldi goal that narrowed the gap to 3-1 at the break.
Custodian Marsh was domineering in finding different ways to stop Mountain from extending their lead in the second half, including a defiant leg-block of Lauren Pruscino’s shot, but the fourth goal finally fell Mountain’s way when Victoria Martin found the target from outside the D to make it 4-1 inside the final 10 minutes.
Magic tried hard without being able to find a way past the Mountain defence and Hill in goals, and it was game over when Majik’s Leila Hezlett scored a few minutes from the end to round out an impressive four-goal win.
Mountain coach Mark Cotter applauded Inner West for taking the game to them but praised his side for holding their nerve.
“Early on they pushed us and we were a little concerned and tried to use quick subs to wear them out, and they played out well for us in the end,” he said, “We lost our captain for this match so for the girls to play the way they did to take out the title, they’re amazing!”
Mountain Majik 5 (Emily Dorahy, Greta Kraszula, Monique Holder, Victoria Martin, Leila Hezlett) Inner West Magic 1 (Annalise Schiraldi)
Inner West Magic: Lara Bosnich, Dahlia Haddad, Olivia Hardaker, Bryleeh Henry, Maddy Kowalenko, Stephanie Marsh, Ailish McDonagh, Jessika Nash, Ashley Purcell, Annalise Schiraldi, Olivia Schembri, Tori Tumeth, Gemma Gray, coach Matteo Maiorana, assistant coach Filiz Urkanci, manager Jodi Pollicina
Mountain Majik: Annabelle Daczko, Emily Dorahy, Maddison Gardoni, Leila Hezlett, Regan Hill, Monique Holder, Alyssa Janssen, Greta Kraszula, Victoria Martin, Laura Montiel, Lauren Pruscino, coach Mark Cotter, assistant coach Ian Fuller, manager David Gardoni
Referees: Phil Di Matteo, Owen Ferguson, Jared Katz
AWD Futsal League – Coast beats City
South Coast Taipans capped off a dominant AWD division one summer with a hardfought 4-1 win against Sydney City Eagles at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday afternoon.
It was a bright start and South Coast led after just three minutes when Sydney City switched off in defence to allow Steven Delovski an open look at the top of the D, which he buried nicely past Eagles keeper Jason Blackadder, but the game was back on level terms in the blink of an eye as Brad Southwell returned serve at the other end to make it 1-1.
City picked up the tempo midway through the half and a Southwell rocket needed saving by Taipans keeper Nathan Whalen, and Craig Muhlbock could’ve done a little better with a beauty of a through-ball from Dion Kalogiros, before a cleverly worked set-piece saw Whalen parry away a ripping Southwell drive from 10m out.
Blackadder was also called into action with a reflex save that palmed a Scott King shot over the bar, but Eagles looked the more likely to score as Southwell again knocked on the door with a blistering offering that Whalen had trouble pushing clear and seconds before halftime whistled another strike past the upright.
South Coast had slim pickings but they made City pay for their earlier misses when competition leading-scorer Rocco Musumeci banged in his 16th of the summer to put Taipans back in front 2-1 a few minutes after the restart, and they made it a two-goal gap following an unfortunate Eagles own goal.
The Coasters missed a golden chance to go further ahead midway through the second term when they tapped wide with the whole goalmouth at their beckoning, but the goals avalanched after that with Patrick Mitchell netting twice and Musumeci scoring his second for Taipans to take an unassailable 6-1 lead to fulltime.
Taipans coach Walter Del dipped his hat to a bunch of athletes who epitomise what sport should be all about.
“We have a great deal of pride in our AWD program and they are very much a part of the fabric of our club, and this side has been outstanding. This is their fifth grand final in a row, they take their training very seriously, and we love them dearly,” he said.
South Coast Taipans 6 (Steven Delovski, Rocco Musumeci 2, Patrick Mitchell 2, own goal) Sydney City Eagles 1 (Bradley Southwell)
South Coast Taipans: Steven Delovski, Mitchell Forrest, Zachary Jones, Scott King, Patrick Mitchell, Rocco Musumeci, John Ruiz, Nathan Whalen, coach Walter Del, manager Mark Forrest
Sydney City Eagles: Jason Blackadder, Michael Dooley, David Evans, Cameron Fyfe, Alexander Hernandez, Dion Kalogiros, Liam Mackie, Craig Muhlbock, Elisha Southee, Bradley Southwell, Raquel White, coach Peter Muhlbock, manager Tamara Goodwin
Referees: Guy Laurenceson, Kaine Mannell, Jamie Ewin
Youth Men – Warriors crush Quake
Dural Warriors were crowned Youth Men premiers and champions following a comprehensive 8-2 victory over gallant Campbelltown Quake at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday afternoon.
Campbelltown had the first look at goal as Advin Trebincevic’s drive clipped the outstretched leg of Dural keeper Brayden Brennan and drifted over the bar, while Warriors Carlos De Oliveira went close at the other end with a shot across goal that peeled paint off the woodwork.
Dural grabbed a sixth-minute lead when Peter Xenos was left unchecked on the byline and his pass across goal only needed De Oliveira’s assistance into goal for the opening score, but they could’ve made more of a three-on-two break when Ahmed Sweedan decided to go himself and had his solid strike blocked by Quake keeper Daniel Curtale.
Sweedan made up for his decision eight minutes from the break with a great run up court and excellent finish past Curtale to give the premiers a two-goal buffer.
Campbelltown fired up and Brennan stood tall to deny an Ethan Denis attempt from the top of the D but it was Dural who scored next, Brandon Vella finding the net on an acute angle to hand Warriors a 3-0 lead on the stroke of halftime.
Xenos had a great chance to extend Dural’s lead straight after the break when he stole the ball from inside his own half, raced up court but hit his strike against the post under some tough surveillance from Quake’s Denis.
Both keepers showed off their talents, Brennan superb in a low save to deny Anthony Haddad and Curtale equally as good closing out De Oliveira at the other end, but Dural again showed their class when a swift team movement resulted in a fairly easy Xenos back-post tap-in for a 4-zip scoreline.
Campbelltown finally gained some reward for all their hard work when from the kickoff Bradon Clissold found his mark with a long-range goal, but Warriors restored the four-goal gap following another excellent Xenos finish and – with Quake going fifth-man a dozen minutes from the end – Sweedan struck true into an empty goalmouth and De Oliveira did the same to make it 7-1.
Tyler Allen gave Quake some respectability with a good strike into goal four minutes from the end, but Tallon Zahra responded with an eighth team goal that underlined Dural’s six-goal victory.
Warriors coach Rob Varela said his players were deserved winners. “I knew if we’d play to our potential we’d be in contention; we wanted to get ahead and control the game from there and I think it’s a fair result for a good season,” he said.
De Oliveira said the major difference was converting the opportunities. “We out our chances away and they didn’t,” he said. “We’ve really gelled well as a team over the year, but you still have to work hard in every game,” he said.
Dural Warriors 8 (Carlos De Oliveira 2, Ahmed Sweedan 2, Peter Xenos 2, Brandon Vella, Tallon Zahra) Campbelltown Quake 2 (Bradon Clissold, Tyler Allen)
Campbelltown Quake: Tyler Allen, Harry Bagot, Bradon Clissold, Daniel Curtale, Ethan Denis, Anthony Haddad, Connor Hewit, Aidan Limbrey, Radwan Jirjnazi, Advin Trebincevic, Jordan Winckle, coach Mark Symington, assistant coach Danny Martinez, manager Carlos Martinez
Dural Warriors: Jake Basden, Brayden Brennan, Carlos De Oliveira, Brayson Hill, Caden Hill, Nathan Philips, Ahmed Sweedan, Brandon Vella, Peter Xenos, Tallon Zahra, coach Rob Varela, manager Andrew Dupen
Referees: Cameron Lee, Anthony Mansour, Peter Liaros
Open Women – Inner West defeat Dural
Open women premiers Inner West Magic had to battle hard to defeat Dural Warriors 2-1 at Valentine Sports Park late on Saturday afternoon.
A spirited start saw Inner West keeper Sophie Magus leap high to push a clever Rachel Perrins chip over the bar, and it was Perrins’ tenacity that helped Dural take a third-minute lead as she outmuscled two defenders and Magus to barge in the opener.
The match bogged down in a real dogfight as both sides showed they weren’t going to be pushed around and that might’ve played a little into Magic’s hands as they dictated play and restricted Warriors to the counter, Inner West’s Rhianna Pollicina placing one shot just wide of the post and then having her effort from the top of the D blocked well by Dural keeper Tani Rosekelly.
Dural weren’t without chances but found Magus in good form as she sucked in a solid Perrins effort, while Rosekelly was also kept busy at the other end with a series of fine saves, but she couldn’t deny Inner West their equaliser seconds before the halftime hooter – a Tori Tumeth corner finding Doris Osman on the charge and she struck well on the angle across goal to make it 1-1 at the changeover.
A cagey second-half finally broke when Osman found Pollicina running to the top of the D and her touch-down and shot over Rosekelly was all class as Magic took their first lead seven minutes into the term, Pollicina netting for the 22nd time this summer.
Rosekelly was brave in charging out a couple of times to defuse separate Inner West attacks while a Servet Uzunlar thunderbolt at the other end almost leveled the scores for Dural, Magus palming the stinging drive over the bar and later blocking another Uzunlar effort with her legs.
Not to be outdone it took catlike reflexes from Rosekelly to keep Magic from staking a third goal and it was tit-for-tat as Magus charged out to cut down a Perrins burst to maintain Inner West’s edge with three minutes left, Magic hanging on for a gutwrenching victory.
Coach Matteo Maiorana knew the win was coming. “We’ve been building this squad from young girls who have matured into quality young ladies,” he said. “Dural are a phenomenal side and for us to come from a goal down… we didn’t expect any breaks, but we stuck to our game plan and that got us over the line.”
Inner West Magic 2 (Doris Osman, Rhianna Pollicina) Dural Warriors 1 (Rachel Perrins)
Inner West Magic: Ceyda Cambaz, Amy Dahdah, Bianca Galic, Olivia Hardaker, Georgia Koutzoumis, Sophie Magus, Stephanie Marsh, Doris Osman, Ashleigh Palombi, Rhianna Pollicina, Gill Raymond, Tori Tumeth, coach Matteo Maiorana, assistant coach Filiz Urkanci, manager Jodi Pollicina
Dural Warriors: Brianna Clarke, Sara Comert, Bianca Dobson, Demelza Howard, Emma Hurley, Abbey Lemon, Sam Nagy, Tess Olsen, Rachel Perrins, Tani Rosekelly, Brooke Steinwede, Servet Uzunlar, coach Rob Varela, manager Julie Dupen
Referees: Salma Aly, Jared Katz, Owen Ferguson
Open Men – Dural Warriors crowned Open Men Champions
Dural Warriors showed their mettle in a 4-2 victory over Inner West Magic that claimed a premiership-championship double in front of a packed Valentine Sports Park on Saturday evening.
Hundreds of fans had barely settled in their seats when a sizzling Daniel Fornito left-footer broke Nick Starr’s grip in goal for Dural to gift Inner West a first-minute lead but chances were few and far between, Warrior Ahmed Sweedan firing over the bar with Magic keeper Domenic Badolato sprawled on the canvas before Sweedan turned provider with a great move down the left and cross that found Brandon Vella at the back post to power home the equaliser midway through the term.
The match opened up and went end-to-end as both sides tried to wrestle control, Inner West holding down possession as Dural looked to move the ball forward quickly at almost every attempt, a neat one-two from Inner West’s Jonathan Barzel to Daniel Fogarty nearly finding the target and Barzel also going close with a low-drive seconds later.
Dural too were getting looks but wayward shooting failed to trouble Badolato, and even when Warriors were more incisive Badolato produced an incredible diving save to block Matthew Leroy on a two-on-one break, and as the clock ticked toward halftime Starr did well to boot clear a solid Barzel drive as the teams swapped ends locked at 1-1.
Sam De Oliveira was first to test Badolato early in the second term with a stinging drive the glovesman pushed out, and a few minutes later Badolato pulled off an acrobatic save to deny De Oliveira a second time.
But it was advantage Dural soon enough when a goalmouth scramble saw the ball spill to Leroy in front of goal who nudged it into an empty net for a 2-1 Warriors lead, and it could’ve been more had Sweedan’s top-of-the-D freekick not pinballed off the wall and post before being spat back out.
Another nail was hammered when Sweedan unleashed a cracker from 7m out that beat Badolato to send the Warriors fans into delirium as Dural led 3-1 inside the final 10 minutes.
Inner West weren’t done with yet as a sixth Warriors foul sent Fornito to the spot and his furious drive flew past Dural keeper Alistair Bruce to bring the score back to 3-2 with five minutes on the clock.
Bruce was in the thick of it and dropped well to kick clear a Fogarty rocket, and Badolato was just as good in palming away Greg Giovenali’s open look from just outside the D at the other end, the Dural veteran clipping the post with a full-court shot as Magic went fifth-man for the remaining two minutes.
And that proved to be the death knell as Vella sealed the coffin shut with a deftly taken long-range goal to finish Magic 4-2, a sixth championship trophy now headed to a bulging Dural cabinet.
Two-goal Warriors hero Vella thanked his team-mates for making the day even more memorable.
“We didn’t change anything in our approach. We were missing some players but the boys who’ve come in have really stepped up – Rob [coach Varela] gives us that confidence,” he said.
“It feels good personally to score a couple of grand final goals, but you can’t do that without the help of your team-mates.”
Varela had no reservations about the feeling this victory provoked and hoped exciting Futsal games such as this one gained even greater promotion and perhaps a bigger venue in the future.
“The first one is always special but this is the sweetest of them all,” he said. To do it when most of the side is aged 20 years and younger is just fantastic.”
“There is a method to our madness – we get them young and teach them how to play Futsal properly. Not many teams could put a youth player into a grand final and he scores two goals.”
Magic club manager Matteo Maiorana was gutted. It was the fourth time Inner West Magic / Allstars had lost a premier league open men’s grand final – the most of any club (Quake three times, Dural twice).
“It’s disappointing we weren’t at our best. Credit to Dural as these games are always hardfought and there are no favourites when Dural and Inner West play, but it is disappointing to miss out on both trophies so narrowly – we just felt we had started to break their dominance,” he said.
Dural Warriors 4 (Brandon Vella 2, Matthew Leroy, Ahmed Sweedan) Inner West Magic 2 (Daniel Fornito 2)
Dural Warriors: Brandon Vella, Greg Giovenali, Sam De Oliveira, Nick Starr, Peter Xenos, Nathan Niski, Carlos De Oliveira, Ahmed Sweedan, Jake Basden, Alastair Bruce, Matthew Leroy, Tallon Zahra, coach Rob Varela, assistant coach Brian Codrington, manager David Polkinghorne
Inner West Magic: Domenic Badolato, Jonathan Barzel, Francesco Calle, Miles Downie, Daniel Fogarty, Daniel Fornito, Brian Griffin Colls, Matthew Lecce, Roberto Maiorana, Brett Rea, Chris Zeballos, Brett Forward, coach Steven Knight, assistant coach Miles Downie, manager Matteo Maiorana
Referees: Darren Allatt, Nick Backo, Cameron Lee
-By Dan De Nardi
