SELECT Futsal Premier League Grand Final Review 2018-19
Sunday’s SELECT NSW Premier League Championship Day at Valentine Sports Park was a brilliant display of high-quality Futsal.
Mascot had four wins and Inner West three, while Enfield scored in the final 10 seconds of a jam-packed day to win the open men’s title.
AWD FL Premiers & Champions South Coast Taipans
12 Boys Premiers Inner West Magic Champions Mascot Vipers
13 Girls Premiers Mountain Majik Champions Mascot Vipers
14 Boys Premiers & Champions Inner West Magic
15 Girls Premiers Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Champions Campbelltown Quake / Inner West Magic
16 Boys Premiers & Champions Mascot Vipers
17 Girls Premiers & Champions Inner West Magic
19 Men Premiers & Champions Mascot Vipers
Open Women Premiers & Champions Inner West Magic
Open Men Premiers Dural Warriors Champions Enfield Allstars
AWD Futsal League – Taipans bring down Eagles
South Coast Taipans put on a second-half clinic to defeat Sydney City Eagles 6-1 and claim yet another AWD Futsal League premiership-championship double.
Sydney City were terrific value in an evenly-matched first half that saw the scores locked 1-1 at the break, but a four-goal effort from P Mitchell put the seal on South Coast’s resounding win.
12 Boys – Vipers strike Magic
Mascot Vipers turned the tables on 12 Boys premiers Inner West Magic following a superb 4-3 triumph in the opening grand final clash at Valentine Sports Park.
Gameplay began with a brilliant Inner West counter as Mansour Elmasri showed great speed up court and a blistering drive that Mascot keeper Dean Plessas did well to tip over the bar, but the response was swift with Vipers full of running and forcing Magic custodian Lachlan Linards to show off his cat-like reflexes with a superb drop to smother a goal-bound nudge seconds before jumping on a rebound off the post like a soldier throwing himself on a grenade in the trenches.
The well-balanced match had action bubbling at both ends and Inner West target Jetzen Lopez was left clutching his head as his deft touch inside the D floated past everyone until bouncing softly off the upright and cleared from danger.
Mascot finally drew first blood midway through a riveting contest when Wataru Kamijo drilled one into the far corner to set the Vipers clan alight, and they doubled their advantage five minutes from halftime when light-footed Hugo Mezei teased three Magic defenders inside the D before squaring up Maor Rubinstein for a poke between Linards’ legs into goal.
Mascot then showed all the hunger needed for a championship match when three defenders blocked the goalmouth as Plessas charged out to confront an Inner West attack, the ball bumbled clear but the tension stayed present as moments later Miguel Di Pizio found space on the left and dispatched a great shot that whistled under Plessas to cut the deficit in half at the break.
The premiers lifted after oranges and forced Mascot onto the back foot, and even when Vipers slithered out of their half Magic scrambled hard to defuse any counter plans.
But the Mascot defence also held firm and their heroics on the line went rewarded as they landed a killer blow when a neat combination between Mezei, Leo Latter and Rubinstein freed up the latter in front of goal, the youngster showing all class to drift the ball over Linards for a 3-1 lead eight minutes from the end.
It didn’t seem to be Magic’s day as Elmasri bumped another one off the woodwork and they just couldn’t find a way past Plessas & Co until Di Pizio lined up a freekick six metres out and fired through the keeper’s legs to trail by one in the closing moments.
Inner West went close to equalising as Plessas had to pull off a string of smothering blocks before releasing Kamijo with a throw down the right, and he in turn laid it across court to Andre Rizgalla for a sharp one-two that Kamijo simply had to nudge into the net to restore Mascot’s two-goal buffer and seal a dramatic victory, despite Di Pizio’s last-second strike for Magic.
IWM: Lachlan Linards, Joshua Cachia, William Millwood, Antoine Andary, Tiago Quintal, Peter Marinos, Jackson Goggins-Barrett, Mansour Elmasri, Jetzen Lopez, Miguel Di Pizio, Abdulla Alayed, Nathan Kairouz
MV: Dean Plessas, Anthony Rozman, Andre Rizgalla, Leo Latter, Hugo Mezei, Maor Rubinstein, Mikah Chilas, Luca Holmes, Wataru Kamijo, Louis Brokenshire, Elliot Sellers, Patrick Lucraft, Thomas Hynes, George Manos
13 Girls – Mascot move Mountain Majik
Mascot Vipers upset 13 Girls premiers Mountain Majik with a thrilling penalty-shootout victory after grand final regular time finished a dramatic 3-3 at Valentine Sports Park.
The premiers attacked from the outset and sustained pressure saw an Alessandra Valle header canon off the bar seconds before team-mate Maya Lobo rifled one past the post.
Majik didn’t have to wait long to hit the front as Avaali Prakash’s perfectly-weighted corner saw Lobo simply touch into goal at the far post for the game’s opener, but the same player bombed a chance to make it 2-0 seconds later when she pushed her team-mate’s brilliant pass wide of an open net.
Mascot eventually settled and on a rare up-court excursion Adelaide Wyrzynski did extremely well to slice the ball in from an acute angle and even up the scores.
Vipers came out of the next time-out full of huff and called Majik keeper Aimee Hall into action several times, the best a great drop and tip clear of Emily Brewster’s low drive on the break.
Mascot had the best of the opening second-half chances as Tess Quilligan missed a guilt-edged opportunity before having a follow-up scrambled out of play, but she made amends after being brought down in the D and smashed home the spot-kick to push Vipers 2-1 up.
It was a cool 3-1 midway through the term as Brewster – who flew back from a family holiday in Noosa the night before just to participate in the grand final – went coast-to-coast and delivered a clinical strike past Hall to scoot Mascot further ahead.
The Mountaineers pressed hard in the closing minutes and Lobo fired one home to draw a little closer and seconds later Mary Stanic-Floody raised the roof with a bulldozing effort that evened up the scores.
Mascot almost snatched it at the death when Quilligan had her sight set on goal with only Hall to beat, but the Majik keeper showed great courage to charge out and block the shot to give the rowdy crowd a gasp of breath ahead of extra-time.
After a nervy overtime period Hall repeated the dose in a gripping penalty shootout as she blocked Quilligan’s opening attempt before Vipers keeper Ivana Rozman returned serve by doing the same to Majik’s first try, and Mascot could finally celebrate when Mountain’s third attempt clipped the bar to end a terrific final.
MM: Charlotte Hogan, Abbey Nelmes, Libby Morris, Maya Lobo, Alessandra Valle, Mary Stanic-Floody, Holly Foenander, Ryley Paki, Avaani Prakash, Aimee Hall, Annika Cross
MV: Tess Quilligan, Mikayla Duong, Benita Rossello, Sophia Brokenshire, Ivana Rozman, Adelaide Wyrzynski, Emily Brewster, Riley Welsh, Daniella Naeimi, Erin Diavatiotis, India Breier, Emily Brewster
14 Boys – Inner West down Mascot
It was jubilation for Inner West Magic as they claimed the 14 Boys premiership-championship double on the back of a 2-0 win against Mascot Vipers at Valentine Sports Park.
Both sides began briskly without definite threats on goal, Inner West perhaps having the better chances although Magic keeper Steven Kriezis had to be sharp in a good drop to deny Mascot’s Jake Girdwood-Reich.
The major battles were taking place mid-court as well-organised defences kept chances to a minimum and mostly from long range, Girdwood-Reich having a 7m freekick cleared off the line at one end and Jared Macerola making a nuisance of himself for Magic at the other.
The game finally got the breakthrough it needed when Clayton Taylor found space on the left and fired home an accurate snipe that lifted Inner West ahead a couple minutes before the break, and it could have easily doubled had Vipers glovesman Dimitri Makapagkal not acrobatically cleared a rifling Daniel Bosnich attempt and it remained a one-goal game at the changeover.
The second half was a cagey affair until Girdwood-Reich forced the best out of Kriezis in goal, but it was more a game of chess than Futsal as both sets of players moved and countered exceptionally well, Clayton Taylor also burning one past the reach of Makapagkal and the post, but the best save came from Kriezis who broke up a 3-on-1 against him.
The game looked gone when Inner West surged and Matteo Guerra slipped one into the onion bag for a 2-0 lead with five minutes to go, and although Mascot got some good looks in their powerplay, Magic finished deserved winners.
IWM: Steven Kriezis, William Mcintosh, Joseph Calusic, Daniel Bosnich, Matteo Guerra, Clayton Taylor, Jared Macerola, Mansour Elmasri, Miguel Di Pizio, Jacob Churchill, Lucas Craus, Thomas Furlong, Morrie Kamara
MV: Max Vartuli, Connor Stamatis, Kensuke Oka, Joseph Hatem, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Stefano Rossello, Dimitri Makapagkal, Fenn Hodgson-Yu, Matthew Brewster, Cameron Duong, Justin Poon, Arin Edebali, Jude Flavell, Leonardo Maksimovich, Orlando Saffioti, Antony Barbic, James Hampton
15 Girls – Campbelltown Quake (3) v Inner West Magic (4)
The Campbelltown Quake versus Inner West Magic grand final was postponed due to several members of both sides being unavailable due to a Young Matildas camp.
CQ: Tara Baudana, Aurelia Collins, Keira Danes, Olivia De La Harpe, Emelia Dell, Kate Duffy, Renee Houliaras, Darcey Malone, Madeleine Malone, Ryna Prasad, Jessica Rocchetto, Olivia Sloan
IWM: Annaliese Batshon, Tayla Bondy, Michaela Brcic, Taylor Brookes, Bryleeh Henry, Gemma Morgan, Bianca Musumeci, Jessika Nash, Olivia Schembri, Alyssa Schwereb, Lucca Taylor
16 Boys – Vipers sting Magic
Mascot Vipers celebrated a thorough 16 Boys premiership-championship double as they held their nerve in a 2-0 defeat of Inner West Magic at Valentine Sports Park.
Mascot almost got off to a dream start when Emmanuel Tzanekes bashed one against the upright in the opening minutes, and Inner West custodian Zac Begetis was excellent in denying another two Vipers attempts with his legs midway through the term before smothering a close-range Ethan De Melo shot.
Begetis was inspiring as he kept Mascot at bay, including tipping Tim Scott’s goal-bound drive against the bar, as Inner West were restricted to the counter and set-pieces in a scoreless first term.
The action picked straight back up in the second period as both sides grew in confidence, and the Vipers goal that seemed brewing for ages finally boiled when Tzanekes spiralled a great pass to Peter Politis at the far post and he was able to squeeze it in for the game’s opener midway through the half.
Inner West came charging back and Mascot keeper Sasha Chilas did well to smother Jacob Debien’s close-ranger, and Debien maybe got a little too excited when he snapped at the ball as it entered Chilas’ hands to floor the Vipers glovesman who needed a minute for treatment as fulltime loomed.
Magic were desperate and their commitment to throwing bodies on the line looked like a scene from Saving Private Ryan, but some quick Vipers touch-passes finally proved Inner West’s undoing as Thomas Quilligan only had to poke the ball into an empty net to double Mascot’s lead, which they held to the final whistle.
MV: Sasha Chilas, Timothy Scott, Thomas Quilligan, Emmanuel Tzanakes, Ethan De Melo, Peter Politis, Dylan Kanjo, Yanni Plataniotis, Samuel Tzanakes, Keanu Harris, Fenn Hodgson-Yu, Dimitri Makapagkal
IWM: 1 Zac Begetis, 20 Oliver Yates, 31 Milos Anic, 32 Joshua Cole, 33 Peter Kontis, 36 James Khoury, 37 Cody Peluso, 38 Jacob Debien, 39 Sebastian Boffa, 66 Zayne Ahluwalia, Rhys Osmond
17 Girls – Magic shake Quake
Inner West Magic squeezed another trophy into the club cabinet with a 2-1 victory over Campbelltown Quake securing the 17 Girls premiership-championship double.
The opening exchanges resembled new year’s eve on Sydney Harbour as fireworks erupted across the court in a turbulent start, neither side finding a clear path to goal as some bruising defence brought plenty of gasps from the crowd.
Inner West probably had more possession and territory but Campbelltown dished out as good as they got until a fortuitous Ailish McDonagh strike ping-ponged off a defender and out of Luisa Rocchetto’s hands in goal for Quake to lift Magic 1-0 up.
Quake’s intent was great but they simply couldn’t infiltrate deep in the attacking zone, keeping close with some quality defence to stay within range down one goal at the break, Magic’s biggest worry at oranges the condition of keeper Ashley Purcell who was involved in a nasty collision with Jasmine Limon.
Campbelltown’s Rachel Bagot had a cheeky chip bounce off the crossbar to start second half proceedings and it was all square when the diminutive player bobbed up again seconds later to steer home a strike that levelled the score at 1-1.
Rocchetto was sublime midway through the term in blocking an initial Tori Tumeth rocket before tipping the follow-up onto the bar while she was practically on her knees to keep the score unchanged.
The hard work almost paid off when a few minutes later Campbelltown launched a super counter that saw four first-touch passes to get up court before a near-miss in front, and Inner West went even closer when a great pass ahead freed up an Ella Goodwin attempt that bounced off the inside of the post and back across goal.
Quake’s Kiarne Latham also went close in the dying moments, smashing a speculator against the post and out of bounds, and Tumeth should’ve done better from a metre in front but found Rocchetto unmovable as an exciting match drifted into extra time.
Rocchetto was pivotal in making sure Campbelltown had every chance to pinch a result but she couldn’t do it all as Inner West steamrolled toward goal in the closing minutes and a neat one-two between Tumeth and McDonagh saw the latter tap into an empty net to steal the show 2-1.
IWM: Tori Tumeth, Ashley Purcell, Lara Bosnich, Gemma Gray, Ella Goodwin, Rory Mcnally, Maryam Mostaghimi, Ailish McDonagh, Tiana Barton, Jamison Pope, Bianca Musumeci, Olivia Schembri, Bryleeh Henry, Jessika Nash
CQ: Luisa Rocchetto, Jasmine Limon, Chloe Gordon, Madeleine Mallone, Caitlin Orridge, Kate Duffy, Darcey Malone, Aurelia Collins, Rachel Bagot, Kiarnie Latham, Keira Danes, Eliza Pereira, Jessica Rochetto, Emma Stretton
19 Men – Mascot smack Inner West
Mascot Vipers completed the perfect summer when the unbeaten premiers defeated Inner West Magic 4-0 in Sunday’s grand final at Valentine Sports Park.
Vipers keeper Oskar Beck was tested first as he closed out and deflected Jacob Debien’s left-side incursion, and he was called on again moments later to tip over Debien’s long-ranger as Magic looked to upset their opposition’s rhythm.
Mascot were enjoying plenty of possession but failing in the final-third to get a good look at goal, while Inner West looked tight in defence and crisp in transition; Gabrielle Cole a whisker away from opening the account when his left-side powerdrive almost snapped the post while glovesman Dylan Niski parried away a Vipers snap at the other end.
Zander Regan thought he’d scored for Magic when his drive past an out-of-position Beck struck the underside of the crossbar, bounced on the goal-line and cleared to leave it nil-all at the changeover.
Inner West upped the ante when they came out with a powerplay to start the second term but it was actually Mascot who stepped it up as they started to show more of their premiership credentials by creating a string of scoring chances that culminated in a brilliant one-two counter between Tzanekes and Ethan De Melo that the former buried at the far post to take Vipers 1-0 ahead.
Magic refused to roll over and kept asking questions of the Vipers defence but at the other end a clever De Melo touch-down and blast from the edge of the D found the back of the net to double Mascot’s advantage inside the final 10 minutes.
It could’ve been three a minute later as Timothy Scott had his chip over Niski ricochet off the woodwork but it mattered little as Scott’s charge up court went rewarded as he struck past Niski for a decisive 3-0 scoreline, cherried by a full-court Yanni Plataniotis shot with Magic in a powerplay.
MV: Oskar Beck, Conor Quilligan, Sasha Chilas, Timothy Scott, Emmanuel Tzanakes, Konstantinos Tsournakakis, Ethan De Melo, Peter Politis, Dylan Kanjo, Yanni Plataniotis, Luke Okuda, Bailey Rule
IWM: Zubayd Allie, Brodie Clarkson, Damian Tsekenis, Suleyman Bangura, Zander Regan, Eden Caudwell, Gabriel Cole, Cody Peluso, Vincenzo Melissari, Jacob Debien, Dylan Niski, Ali Ahmadi, Zachary Reardon, Guy Squadrito, Gianni Fragomeli, Sam Immerschmitt, Hayden Macerola
Open Women – Magic overpowers Majik
Inner West Magic are Open Women Queens following an unbeaten summer that saw them claim the Futsal Cup, league premiership and finally the championship after a 3-1 dismissal of Mountain Majik at Valentine Sports Park.
As expected Inner West controlled the early tempo but Mountain should’ve taken the lead when Tara Pender spurned a 3-on-1 break by banging it straight at Magic keeper Sophie Magus instead of passing to an open Maddison Gardoni, and seconds later had a better attempt tipped clear by a flying Magus.
Inner West hit the front 10 minutes in when Bianca Galic finished off a sweeping up-court move with a decisive strike, and only an outstretched Majik keeper Regan Hill kept a low cross-face Lara Bosnich strike from doubling the score moments later.
The second goal wasn’t a long time coming though as Ailish McDonagh played in Amy Dahdah for a simple tap-in as Magic took control at 2-0 up.
Majik weren’t giving up by any stretch and Ashlie Crofts had a bomb steered round the post by Magus, while Hill pulled off some sensational saves at the other end to keep the green machine within reach at halftime.
The game loosened a little in the second term as both sides found space to execute their plans but fatigue from a full weekend of fixtures and a tense first period had taken its toll as finishing touches went astray, Hill tipping over Jennifer Bisset’s strike midway through the term the best of a scattered bunch of shots on goal, while Magus pinned a Majik attempt between her body and the post.
A great Dahdah break from her own half and finish inside the D put Magic into a commanding 3-0 position inside the final 10 minutes, but the Mountaineers got a boost of their own when Ashlie Crofts buried one from close-range moments later to peg the gap back to 3-1.
There wasn’t anyone sand around for Crofts to bury her head in after she missed an open goal from less than a metre out, pushing wide of the post, but Crofts was becoming a magnet for the ball as she imposed her frame in every play until the bell tolled for fulltime with Magic deserved winners.
It was Inner West’s fourth grand final in the past seven years and second victory over the same time frame to draw alongside Mascot.
IWM: Sophie Magus, Jennifer Bisset, Olivia Hardaker, Tori Tumeth, Bianca Galic, Ceyda Cambaz, Rhianna Pollicina, Lara Bosnich, Ailish Mcdonagh, Courtney Halpin, Amy Dahdah, Bryleeh Henry, Gemma Gray, Jessika Nash, Filiz Urkanci, Eliza Ammendolia, Ashleigh Palombi, Gillian Raymond
MM: Regan Hill, Leila Hezlett, Lauren Pruscino, Maddison Gardoni, Fostina Fiulaua, Tanya Borazio, Renee Blakemore, Nadia Nisbet, Ashlie Crofts, Tara Pender, Monique Holder, Chantelle Symes, Lydia Surgeon
Inner West coach Matteo Maiorana is the first Futsal coach to claim three trophies in the same summer but couldn’t have done it without a champion side at his command.
Mountain coach Adam Barbera was proud of his players and said they are not far away from Inner West’s benchmark.
“We wanted to play them in the final; they are the best team and deserve the treble, but we’re getting closer to them and we already believe we can be the best,” he said.
“We wanted to be a contender this season and we were, so we must be happy with where we’re at.”
Open Men – Allstars stun Warriors
Enfield Allstars saluted the NSW Futsal community with a super Shervin Adeli goal 10 seconds of time completing an epic two-goal comeback in the final 10 minutes over gallant Dural Warriors.
Valentine Sports Park was packed to the rafters on Sunday and most would be forgiven for thinking Dural would bail out of premier league in style on the back of their dominant open men’s team.
After all it was their ninth straight grand final appearance, winning six of the past eight to go with seven premierships, and they certainly had the playoff wood on Enfield as over a third of their 75 post-season goals stemmed from four finals versus Allstars (26), and a quarter of Dural’s 24 grand final goals came in a 6-3 triumph over Enfield in the 2011/12 decider.
It was certainly a busy opening as Dural tried their luck with three strikes in the first 90 seconds of play, all of them dealt with but the Warriors intent was clear.
Greg Giovenali, who became premier league’s second-highest finals scorer with a strike in yesterday’s semi-final win over Mascot, went closest with a thunderous 7m shot that threatened to smash through the back wall, while Bruno Pivato showed off his sharpness with an acute snap as he sprinted into the D that whistled past the post.
Enfield weren’t without their own chances but they had to work hard for them, Luiz Lobo’s post-scratcher setting Dural nerves fluttering and Michael Kouta’s attempt midway through the term clearly got under the skin of Warrior Blake Rosier who was carded for striking Kouta on his way back up court.
Rosier was fired-up and a pin-point delivery from the corner to find Carlos De Oliveira inside the D was rewarded with the game’s opening goal as Dural surged 1-0 ahead and full of steam.
The advantage would’ve been more without some outstanding saves from Allstars glovesman Stephen Spirou, but after taking some sloppy final-third options Enfield would’ve gladly taken a one-goal deficit into the changeover, while Dural’s Carlos De Oliveira could consider himself lucky to stay on the court after dragging down Shervin Adeli rugby-style as last defender.
It was a new Allstars in the second term as both Lobo and Adeli fired off warning shots but Enfield’s task was made all the more tougher when Samuel De Oliveira cantered up court and laid a beautiful ball across goal for Glen Kelshaw to finish under a diving Spirou as Dural led 2-0.
Spirou was again the Allstars saviour when his reflexes chopped down Pivato’s 1-on-1 gamble and Dural’s own carelessness cost them from furthering their cause when they literally blocked two of their own goal-bound attempts, Pivato carded in an ensuing melee.
Lobo almost capitalised when his sharp-angled strike deflected past the far post, and Spirou was again magnificent in denying Kelshaw from less than a metre out, before Warriors keeper Nicholas Starr chimed in with an excellent block to keep Enfield at arm’s length.
But it was Spirou’s arms proving the difference as his best cirque de soleil efforts stopped Dural time and time again, and his heroics became infectious as an Allstars break saw Kouta tee-up Adeli inside the D for the easiest of goals that cut the deficit in half.
A riveting match reached fever pitch when Lobo showed his skills in a dance down the left and slide across Starr’s goal-face that brought the scores level 2-2 with five minutes on the clock, and the joint was rocking!
Enfield had the emotion but Dural still looked the more likely to score until premier league’s greatest-ever goalscorer etched his name in folklore as Adeli muscled his way through two defenders and under physical pressure slid a shot from the outside of his boot that flew past Starr with just 10 seconds remaining.
It was definitely a long 10 seconds but fulltime sounded to draw the curtain on one dynasty, and perhaps rise on another.
But let’s talk about someone who was there at the start in 2007/08, and just the man to finish off a fantastic contest 10 seconds from time.
Adeli’s scored 131 goals (that we know of as data is missing from roughly 20 games he may have participated in), 20 more than Quake’s Danny Martinez (who has roughly the same amount of game-data missing), and if you need a guy to score twice he’s done it a league-high 26 times.
His third finals brace moves him to fourth-highest on the post-season chart at 10 goals – behind Quake’s Mark Symington (21), Greg Giovenali (14) and Chris Zeballos (12) – but even he had his doubts midway through the decider.
“At 2-0 down I wasn’t confident,” he said. “We had an explosion at halftime [in the changeroom] and we thought we could get back in the game with just one goal.
“[At 2-2 and Dural pressing, he gets the ball with 10 seconds left] To be honest I didn’t feel as nervous as I’ve been before, so I was in the right place in my head; I knew there wasn’t long to go and I just wanted to get into a 1-on-1 position because I felt I could do something.
“It was definitely one of my best moments. It’s hard to describe how good it feels just to make a grand final, and you only dream about scoring the winner, especially against a team like Dural – you can’t plan that!”
Adeli wanted to make sure people knew his winner was only a piece of cream on a cake the whole team contributed to.
“[Club-man Bivona] Ernie’s been my coach for the past 15 years and what I am as a player is a big credit to him, but we’ve got a new coach in Christian and he’s brought us something different,” he said.
“It took a little while to get going but he never gave up on us and we never gave up on him, and we knew the results would come.
“But teams like Dural give the rest of us motivation to come and play. They are the benchmark that everyone else tries to beat.”
Enfield coach Christian Soares also cheered the efforts of both sides.
“I think it was an excellent spectacle for everyone who witnessed the game,” he said. “I’ve always been a believer that in big games the big players want the ball and Sheva was exceptional both days!”
“In saying that there were super performances from players in both teams, and I must give special mention to [keeper] Stephen Spirou who was phenomenal all year and has to be one of the best keepers in the game!”
Soares comes from the land of Futbol Sala (Futsal) but backed a grand final triumph across the Pacific as one of his favourite memories.
“This is definitely the best achievement in my Futsal career because I think the PL1 is the pinnacle league in Australia and to win it in my first year is very special for me,” he said.
“We play differently to anyone else in the league and the boys bought into the system and adapted to the new structure in the second half of the season and full credit to them.
“I would like to thank the club for the opportunity and the support, and the players for the respect they gave me all season.
Now it’s time to celebrate, then to plan for our title defence!”
Well may we applaud Enfield but there’s no other reality than to salute a team that’s added so much value to the premier league and leaves a legacy arguably unmatched by any Futsal club team in Australia.
And while the Warriors players can certainly take a bow, plenty of plaudits must go to the man with the baton, Rob Varela, who set a bar high enough that it lifted the standard of an entire competition simply through the desire of emulation.
“We dominated the game and created many chances but the finishing was very poor,” Varela said. “Enfield stayed in it and scored three late goals. Congratulations to them … we’ll be back.”
Enfield is the sixth club to win a SELECT Futsal Premier League open men’s title over a dozen seasons.
DW: Nicholas Starr, Blake Rosier, Wade Giovenali, Nathan Niski, Samuel De Oliveira, Bruno Pivato, Alastair Bruce, Glen Kelshaw, Carlos De Oliveira, Brandon Vella, Matthew Leroy, Gregory Giovenali, Jacob Basden, Brayson Wickham-Hill, Riley Battle, Vic Koutsoufis
EA: Richard Curmi, César Perego, Kristopher Vlismas, Edilson Silva, Laureano Gomez Castro, Shervin Adeli, Luiz Lobo, James Brodnik, Lucas Brandow, Dion Kellis, Carlos Barriga, Peter Grozos, Michael Kouta, Stephen Spirou, Lachlan Wright, Charles Abou Serhal, Sahand Mehrkhavari, Christian Soares, Alexander Vlismas
-By Dan de Nardi
