MEN’S PRELIMINARY FINAL
Doyalson 1 – 2 Gosford
The second Division 1 final came on the men’s side and featured the two teams who battled it out for second place all season long: The Doyalson Wyee Wolves and the Gosford City Dragons.
In the regular season, Doyalson took the head-to-head 2-1 and, as a result, came into the finals in the all-important second place, earning themselves two chances in these promotion playoffs.
In the opening round of the playoffs, the Wolves pushed Wyoming to the brink and were desperately unlucky not to have progressed straight to the final, losing 2-1 late on.
While Gosford had to endure a goal-fest against Woy Woy. There aren’t many times in football where you can concede six goals and still win, but the Dragons found a way, beating Woy Woy 7-6 to progress to this preliminary final.
From the kick-off, Doyalson pushed forward with their striker Jackson Stone, who broke into the left side of the box and shot towards the near post. However, Ethan Giles in the gloves for Gosford made the stop.
Then, a few moments later, the Dragons nearly scored. This time, the play was down the right, where Kevin Gallagher took some space and drove towards the byline. Just before he got there, Gallagher whipped a ball across the face of goal that left Wolves’ keeper Joshua Doe scrambling to reach it. The goalie failed to make clean contact, and Gosford’s Emerson Baratto stormed into the box, ready to tap the ball in at the far post. However, he arrived a moment too late, and it slipped past him, seeing the chance fade.
Gallagher would then imprint himself on the match, creating multiple chances as the Dragons hunted for an opener.
First, he played a ball into the box for Jackson Jacobs to run onto, forcing Doe to rush out and make a save.
Then Gallagher sent in a corner from the left that found the head of Mark Johnstone, but the shot was just blocked over the bar.
Finally, Gallagher himself had a shot when Zac Hillock crossed the ball in from the right that Doe tipped in the air, seeing it spin out to Gallagher at the far post, where he volleyed it towards goal, just putting it the wrong side of the woodwork.
Throughout this period, Doyalson didn’t have many answers. They did have one great chance when the ball came in from the right to Ethan Denis, who was open inside the box, but a defender and Giles both rushed him, seeing his shot go sailing over the bar.
Outside of that chance, Doyalson were opting to shoot early with both Spoon and Christopher Gavin shooting from distance to no avail.
Then, in the 40th minute, Gosford would get their reward and finally break the game open.
The chance came when Doyalson’s Alex Spindler received a pass in a seemingly innocuous position out at right back. He appeared to have control of the ball before slipping over, and in that moment, Gosford’s Joshua Kay pounced. The Dragons’ attacker stole the loose ball and was instantly in the box. Doe rushed off his line to hurry him, but Kay made no mistake, producing a classy finish around the keeper and into the bottom right of the net for 1-0.
This was a disastrous moment for the Wolves, but only moments later, things would turn from bad to worse with Gosford scoring again with the final kick of the half.
The second goal of the night began with Henry Rodgers, who found himself in midfield, laying the ball off to Jacobs in the Doyalson defensive line. Jacobs held strong before playing Gallagher brilliantly into the left side of the box, where he shot and finally scored, making it 2-0.
At the half, Doyalson knew they had it all to do, and it was going to take a massive effort if they were going to overcome this clinical Gosford side.
When play resumed, two so nearly became three for the Dragons when Jacobs played Baratto into the box with a lovely pass over the top of the Doyalson defence, but Doe stood his ground and made a good save in the one-on-one.
Doyalson would then so nearly claw one back when their right winger, Jamie Witherspoon, cut in from his wing to the edge of the box before shooting a searing strike that looked destined for goal but was denied by the crossbar.
Gosford is now totally settled into the match, keeping their shape and defending deep when they needed to. Most importantly they continued to attack, and Gallagher would have one more chance in the 58th minute before he was subbed off.
This final key involvement came courtesy of Baratto, who crossed it into him in a great position once again in the box. Gallagher went for the first-time shot, but the Wolves’ defence managed to block it at the last moment.
Now, with time battling against them, Doyalson began to lose their way, and they would really struggle to get the ball to their forwards, often losing it in midfield while attempting first-time passes that Gosford refused to let them execute.
Anytime they did get the ball into the final third, Johnstone and his centre-back partner Jarrod Galante were there to scupper the chance swiftly.
Yet, the Wolves didn’t give up, and even though things weren’t working for them, they continued to try anything and everything to break down the Gosford defence. In the 83rd minute, they finally succeeded.
A counterattack saw the ball get to Denis, who was playing more in the middle now. Denis held the ball on the edge of the box, found some space around a defender, and slotted the ball perfectly into the bottom right of the goal, making it 2-1.
This was exactly what Doyalson needed, and both the fans and the players were now rejuvenated and ready for what promised to be a grandstand finish.
Remarkably, and very much to their credit, Gosford did continue to attack, and while that was good for controlling the ball, when they lost it, they were more vulnerable.
Then the moment came, Doyalson, a moment that made every Doyalson fan hold their breath.
Lachlan Bellenger broke down the right and crossed the ball towards Blake Rutherford, who rose above his marker and smashed the ball towards goal. However, it wasn’t to be. Giles positioned himself smartly and caught the shot.
Cramps would then break out across the field, and no further opportunities would drop into injury time.
When the final whistle blew, the game ended 2-1. Doyalson’s fantastic season had come to an end, while the Dragons will fight on, earning their shot at promotion in a derby against the Tigers on Sunday.
It was two very contrasting conversations after the match, beginning with the Wolves and their captain, Toby Williams, who led his team valiantly from the back across both finals games.
Williams was disappointed to have come so close but reflected on a season that put the Wolves back into contention, and that was undoubtedly a success despite how it ended.
“Really stoked with the boys and proud of what we have achieved this season as a whole”, Williams began.
“For a new squad to come together and make finals for the first time in 17 years is a massive effort.
“Credit to Gosford, they were hungry and wanted it more on the night. “We’ll take a lot from this season and look to build on it heading into next year. Best of luck to both teams in the grand final”.
While Gosford coach Shea Taylor, was happy with his players performance and excited to face Wyoming once again, having dramatically beaten them in last year’s finals series.
“I just think there was a game plan we executed perfectly” Taylor began.
“I just think we showed our dominance, and basically our consistency hasn’t been where it should’ve been, but we showed we are the second-best team in this comp”.
Then, when asked about the final, he quickly said:
“Bring on the derby, and with it being the biggest derby on the coast, Wyoming versus Gosford, I think everyone is in for an exciting game, and what will be will be”.
WOMEN’S PRELIMINARY FINAL
Ourimbah 2 – 0 Gosford
The first of two Division 1 finals played on Sunday began with the women’s competition as the Ourimbah Falcons faced off against the Gosford City Dragons.
Gosford qualified for this preliminary final by beating Woy Woy 4-3 in the opening round of the finals, while the Falcons arrived on their second life after falling just short to the Champions Avoca in a game with the same scoreline.
The Dragons entered the contest knowing they could defeat the Falcons, having given them trouble all season long and taken the series of four games between them 3-1. In contrast, the Falcons had just pushed the Champions to the limit but fallen short and had to bounce back into the form that saw them put together a fantastic season and finish second.
So an intriguing contest was on the cards and was eventually won by Ourimbah, who scored two spectacular goals in the second half to earn a rematch against the Sharks.
There was a significant emphasis on defence throughout this clash, which was apparent from the onset when the Dragons sought a way through down the left channel via Tayla Wise, only for Ourimbah centre-back Jasmine Russell to intercept her and clear.
Next, Gosford would have to step up after the first of many Vanessa Pomeranetz long balls towards the box was held up in the Gosford defensive line by Falcons’ forward Ashley Hnuter. Hunter held off her defenders smartly before playing through Maja Hemmerich as she cut into the box. Always a dangerous figure on the field, Hemmerich shaped to shoot but was thwarted by Ariana Hull, who retreated into the box for the Dragons and stopped the chance.
Large stretches of the match would play out like this, with just good, astute defending taking precedence over attack.
Gosford were epitomising this exceptionally well in the early stages. Whenever one of them was beaten, another Dragon would be there in an instant to cover for them, limiting the usually free-flowing Falcons’ attack to minimal chances.
As such, the first shot on goal fell to Gosford when Belle Stammers broke down the left wing and cut the ball back into the box for Wise, who shot by the near left post; however, Falcon’s keeper, Melanie Kirke, made a solid stop to keep things level.
The Dragons would win a dangerous free kick and a corner, but both would be well defended, allowing for another Falcon’s half chance to come in the 17th minute.
It began with Hemmerich in midfield playing a lovely pass to Mary Tai down the right wing. Tai took the ball in stride and slipped by her defender into the box, but just as she went to make her next move Gosford keeper Shammurri Rumble rushed off her line to stop the chance.
Stammers directly countered the sequence by driving all the way downfield, on the left, before cutting in to shoot, but Kirke again stopped it at her near post.
Then, only moments later, in the 19th minute, disaster struck for the Dragons. In what was their best chance so far, Brooke Souter played Stammers through down the left wing in acres of space. The talented winger knew precisely what to do next and pushed towards the goal, but her first touch sent the ball straight for Kirke, who rushed off her line. Now in a race for the ball, Stammers and Kirke both fully committed, resulting in a massive collision just beyond the 6-yard box, with Kirke just managing to gather the ball first. The sheer impact of the clash popped Stammers’ knee out and ended her afternoon early. This was a devastating blow for the Dragons, who not only had to watch a teammate and friend go off injured but also lost the sheer talent of the 2024 Women’s Division 1 Player of the Season, a player no side could easily replace.
Yet, the show had to go on, and once the field was cleared, Gosford subbed on Dannielle Hamment, and the contest resumed with the clock reading 27 minutes.
This break in play subdued the game somewhat, and it took a while for things to get back up to speed, but when they did, it was through Pomeranetz pulling the strings once again for the Falcons.
This time around, an offside call gave Ourimbah a free kick well into their own half on the right side, and Pomeranetz turned this opportunity into a pinpoint-perfect pass to Hemmerich, who was running down the left wing. Hemmerich broke from the retreating Gosford defence as the ball came in and ran onto it as it bounced, taking it into the box. There, Rumble rushed to meet her, and for a moment, it looked like Hemmerich had spectacularly tipped it around the keeper, only for Rumble to instinctively throw a hand back and somehow find the ball, stopping the chance in the 37th minute.
The half would then play out all in Ourimbah’s favour, with more half-chances falling their way as Hemmerich probed their defence constantly, drawing two fine tackles from Gosford centre-back Grace Redbone to see the game come into halftime deadlocked at 0-0.
At the resumption of the game, the Falcons were forced into a substitution of their own with Kirke succumbing to her own injury to her lower leg from the same collision with Stammers.
Despite that, Ourimbah continued from where they left off, putting pressure on Gosford, and in the 55th minute the Dragons’ resistance would finally break.
The opening goal of the afternoon arrived after an Ourimbah attack down the right wing broke down. Chloe Warwick received the ball there, but with no prospects ahead, she was forced to play it back to Pomeranetz in midfield. Most teams in this position would recycle the ball and attempt to switch the play back out to Hemmerich on the left, where perhaps they could find more space, but not a team with Vanessa Pomeranetz.
Instead, the midfield maestro produced a moment of magic, beating a defender with some classy footwork before looking up, eyeing the goal and sending an unbelievable strike forward from well outside the box up into the air, curling over Rumble and into the far side of the net for 1-0, sending the Ourimbah fans around field one into raptures.
This began a period of dominance for Ourimbah, who went searching for a second from the moment play resumed. Substitute Tarni Whitmore massively assisted their efforts as her fresh legs gave the Dragons a whole new set of problems to worry about.
A handball in a dangerous position would give Gosford a chance to shoot on goal. Souter stepped up and did just that, but was unable to challenge the new Falcons’ keeper, Katrina Dos Anjos.
Gosford pushed as many players forward as possible, but they struggled to transition the ball to them. Ourimbah’s defence was ironclad, with Warwick in particular popping up all over the field, acting as a thorn in Gosford’s side.
Now, into the 78th minute, Gosford would manage to get one move forward when Kate Dawson broke through down the right side. She took the ball in line with the box and sent in a cross towards Natalie Dawson, but the substitute forward was only able to head the ball directly up into the air, allowing Dos Anjos to wait for it to fall into her hands.
On the back of their terrific defence, headlined by Russell and her partner at the back, Amy Lothian, Ourimbah appeared to be in the driver’s seat to progress to the grand final, and in the 83rd minute, they would seal the game with another unforgettable goal.
Out on the left wing, Hemmerich received the ball in space. The ever-busy winger could have crossed the ball in, but instead she cut in and had the ball just on the corner of the box, where she struck it towards goal and into the top right corner, icing the game with an absolute stunner that made it 2-0.
Gosford would continue to push, but it wasn’t to be for them, and the final whistle sounded with the score remaining 2-0.
Speaking to Dragon’s coach, Dale Reeson, he lamented that it simply wasn’t his side’s day and reflected on the terrific season they put together.
“Although we didn’t get the result today, I couldn’t be prouder of the team and the way they played. We moved the ball well, created chances, and gave ourselves every opportunity — it just wasn’t our day.
“Congrats to Ourimbah on their win, and best of luck to them and Avoca in the final.
“As for us, it’s been an outstanding season, with the team consistently showing toughness and resilience. They’re a fantastic group of players, and I’m genuinely grateful to have been part of it”.
While Ourimbah coach Angela Bohringer reflected on the terrific team performance her side put in and looked forward to their enticing rematch against the Champions.
“It was always going to be a challenging game, with Gosford proving tough opponents historically.
“The first half was end-to-end, with both sides working hard to find their rhythm. About 10 minutes before the break, Ourimbah began to settle, but the halftime whistle came with the score locked at 0-0.
“The break gave the girls a chance to reset and refocus. The second half started with composure, and just 10 minutes in, Vanessa struck a sensational goal to settle the nerves. Gosford continued to push hard, but Ourimbah held their shape and maintained pressure.
“The persistence paid off when Maja produced a spectacular finish into the top right corner to secure the second goal.
“It was a well-fought game by both teams, and we congratulate Gosford on a great season.
“Now, the focus shifts to a rematch with Avoca—a contest that promises to be just as fiercely competitive. The girls are excited for the opportunity ahead”.
Written by Mark Goodyear