League Two Men’s 2022 Grand Final Preview
After 26 weeks of one of the most thrilling seasons in recent history, the League Two Men’s competition reaches its climax this Saturday night at Sydney United Sports Centre.
It all comes down to this as the reigning premiers Inter Lions face-off against Macarthur Rams in the League Two Grand Final.
Grand Final
Saturday 3rd September, 6pm, Sydney United Sports Centre
Inter Lions FC vs Macarthur Rams FC
20’s: Dulwich Hill FC vs Dunbar Rovers FC, 12pm at Valentine Sports Park
After finishing on opposite ends of the top five, Inter Lions and Macarthur Rams cap off the 2022 season in what is sure to be a thrilling encounter.
Inter Lions will be looking to secure their second piece of silverware this season with a win in the Grand Final, against a side they haven’t lost to all season.
The Lions have only played one game in the last three weeks, after earning a bye in week one of the finals before defeating Rydalmere to secure their spot in the big dance.
Although the lack of games in the last couple of weeks may be a negative for their overall performance, Inter come into the biggest game of the season with what should be their strongest and most fit side of the season.
The Lions will likely welcome back Daniel Georgievski for this game, bringing with him a wealth of big game experience which includes two A-League Grand Final appearances.
The keys for an Inter win will seemingly come from a strong game from their defensive line, that has only conceded four goals in the last six games – keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Inter’s attacking pieces including, Sam Armson, Guiseppe Tillio, Owen Duke and Ollie Green will be looking to continue their good form that saw the Lions score an unprecedented 66 goals in League Two this season.
The biggest talking point heading into this game is undoubtedly the most recent meeting between the two sides, where Inter walked away with a stunning 8-2 victory.
Although the score line may not reflect it, both sides have publicly admitted eight goals to Inter was not a fair reflection on the game and that the Rams were the better side for the opening half hour.
Inter will be full of confidence knowing what they have done in the past to open the Rams defence up, but Macarthur will be using this as motivation prove the doubters wrong.
One of the more interesting storylines for this game is the age difference between the opposing captains, as Rams’ skipper John Fahmi possess a wealth of FNSW Leagues experience at 29-years-old. Whereas Lions’ captain Sam Armson is seven years his senior, but has taken a massive leap in his first season with the armband.
Now onto the Rams who have gone on a four-game unbeaten run since their last game with Inter and fought their way into the Grand Final.
Macarthur’s never say die attitude has defined their finals run thus far, coming from behind in an impressive fashion in two of the three games.
It’s clear to see the difference from the regular season to the finals for the Rams, after being a consistent side that grinded out results they’ve turned a page and now find themselves 90 minutes away from a grand final win.
The Rams’ physicality in defence along with their new found form in front of goals has given them the upper hand in the three finals games.
After goals in consecutive games, Christian Torelli and Anthony Vastag’s connection in attack has become one the Rams’ biggest weapons.
Macarthur’s youthful side has been lead all season long by their skipper, John Fahmi who has brought a much needed element of experience in the centre of the field.
When these sides met for the first time in the regular season, Macarthur conceded two-late goals to Inter after holding a comfortable lead for the majority of the game.
This along with the aforementioned 8-2 loss against Inter will still be fresh in their mind as the Rams look make it a third time lucky in 2022.
The Rams haven’t tasted Grand Final success since 2014 and will be looking to cap off a storybook finals run with a trophy come Saturday night.
As the reigning premiers, Inter will enter this game as the favourites, but with one game left to decide the 2022 Champion of League Two anything can happen.
By Football NSW Men’s League Two Writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti
