MINOR SEMI FINAL
Kanwal 1 – 4 Southern & Ettalong
Southern fight back from a goal down to end Kanwal’s season, putting an end to their recent Finals misery and securing a place in Saturday’s Preliminary Final against League Champions Woongarrah, whom they are yet to beat.
The contest started with two different gameplays evident from kick off, for Kanwal, it was their direct play, which they are known for, in contrast to the opposition, who looked to build up with more possession play and release their dangerous attackers further up the field.
A turnover in the middle of the field from Jacob Lepre saw Kanwal progress the ball instantly forward to an attacker who saw the run of Logan Moore and played a perfect ball over the defence.
In full stride, the two-time Golden Boot winner Moore did what he does best and found the back of the net from an acute angle to give Kanwal an early lead just 7 minutes into play.
Southern weren’t down for long, finding an equaliser just three minutes later after defender Matt Page intercepted a loose ball and found Jacob Lepre, who did well to fine Alfie Martin in space in the middle of the park.
Martin played a ball out wide to the byline, which was sent across the face of the goal, looking to be an easy claim from the Kanwal keeper who misjudged the ball and turned and turned it into the back of his own net for an own goal, taking the game back on level terms at 1-1.
Looking to get their lead back, Kanwal enjoyed more possession until a goal kick saw Todd Balneaves head to midfielder Jacob Lepre, who evaded his oncoming defender and ran at the defence.
An expertly weighted ball from Lepre cut out two retreating defenders and found the run of Charlie Polson who finished first time into the bottom corner to give the Lions a 2-1 lead.
With an almost instant reply themselves, a Kanwal corner saw Alex Wardle save well to clear the ball. However, the ball only made it as far as Kanwal’s Evan De Zilva who crossed the ball into an open Callum Dunkerley who miss fired his header wide of the post from the 6-yard box.
After a frantic opening with three goals inside 15 minutes, the game settled into an end-to-end contest as both teams searched for the next crucial goal, but the game seemed destined to head to the break at 2-1.
However, with only seconds remaining on the clock, Alfie Martin chased down a ball and won it from the Kanwal defender as he found Jack Ellwood who scooped the ball over the defence for Martin to run onto.
Martin evaded multiple defenders before firing into the top corner to give Southern a crucial 3-1 lead after the opening period.
The second half once again played out as a back-and-forth contest with both teams creating chances but unable to finish their opportunities in front of goal.
The game’s fifth and final goal came in the 75th minute when a well-delivered Southern corner from Lepre saw captain Todd Balneaves rise above the pack and head the ball into the corner of the net to ensure victory for his team.
“Much like our last two matches, it was a very tough encounter against Kanwal,” voiced Matt Page.
“The score line probably flattered us a bit as it was probably more of a case of us taking our chances and Kanwal not taking theirs. I was very proud of the effort and attitude of my guys, with some scrambling goal line defence needed at times, the desire we showed was at the level needed in finals footy.”
“We managed to put some good passages of footy together and scored some decent goals. Some younger guys in our squad really stood up for us which is also really pleasing to see. Now it’s on to the next challenge in Woongarrah, who I’m sure will be eager to make amends after going down in the major semi.”
Page also mentioned, “I want to congratulate Ryan and the Kanwal boys for providing three tough games against us and for having a great season. Getting all three grades into the finals and taking out the club championship is a massive achievement. Ryan and his staff have fostered a great culture at their club and the fact they did so well after some big offseason departures shows that they will be a force to be reckoned with again next season and the years following.”
Match Official – Jasper White
MAJOR SEMI FINAL
Woongarrah 0 – 7 Berkeley Vale
A Berkeley Vale masterclass had the League Champions stunned as the Wombats controlled the match from the start until the finish, defeating Woongarrah by an unfathomable seven goals to nil.
In the highly anticipated third meeting between the two best and most consistent teams in the MPL competition in 2024, Berkeley Vale set into their usual possession style of football from the opening stages.
Whenever they did lose possession, Berkeley Vale showed determination and fight to quickly win the ball back and limit the opposition any free time on the ball which seemed to frustrate the Wildcats who struggled to gain any momentum.
Ten minutes into the game, a Berkeley Vale corner was not dealt with and fell to the feet of an unmarked Conor Fitzpatrick who empathically struck the ball first time through a sea of bodies and found the back of the net to open the scoring.
Ten minutes later the Wombats doubled their advantage after a tremendous build-up play saw Fitzpatrick’s shot dribble wide of the goal only for an unmarked Jakeb Brownlow to come through and guide the ball into an open net to double the Wombats lead.
Still struggling to play out from the back and gain any foothold in the match, another turnover from some great Berkeley Vale defence saw Scott McGinley played into open space in the midfield as he expertly guided the ball into the path of Fitzpatrick who’s first-time shot found the back of the net to make it three.
Five minutes later, another cheap loss of possession from Woongarrah saw Brownlow gather the ball out wide and play a pinpoint cross to an unmarked Fitzpatrick who once again hit the ball first time and secured his first-half hat-trick.
The halftime break came and went as the teams entered the pitch for the second half with Berkeley enjoying a 4-0 lead. However, their intentions were clear that they wanted to add more to the scoreline as Woongarrah have made a habit of coming back against them throughout the season.
The second half was only a few minutes old when Berkeley Vale gathered the ball in the middle of the park in space and played a neat through ball to Fitzpatrick who evaded Mark Harmsworth’s poor attempt at an offside trap to find himself one-on-one with the Woongarrah keeper.
The goalie elected to come out of his box but Fitzpatrick cooly tapped the ball around him and finished into an empty net for his fourth of the day.
Next on the scoresheet for the Wombats was Kyle Harvey who was put through on goal by Brownlow. Harvey’s initial shot was blocked by a defender but was allowed two go’s at it and with his second attempt he was able to find the bottom corner.
Both teams looked to the bench to see out the game, the seventh and final goal game just moments prior to the full-time whistle as Aiden Ellis was on hand to finish a swift counterattack and cement Berkeley’s place in the 2024 MPL Grand Final.
“We have been waiting for that performance all year, hopefully not a game too early,” voiced a pleased Pratt who is hoping his team can re-create that performance when it matters the most in two weeks.”
“Congrats to Andre, Mark and the boys for making the GF,” said Luke Rogers.
“We were totally outplayed on the night from start to finish and deserved the heavy defeat. I said it in my pregame comments about how they have quality players all over the pitch and if you’re not at your best then you’ll have no chance of winning and that showed. We will re-group and go again.”
Match Official – Luke Dunkerley